The Beast's Flower
by JeffC FTW
Summary: For years, there have been frightening tales of a winged man-beast roaming the nation's countryside. What will happen when this monster is connected to a long-missing young ninja who abandoned his village for a terrible lust for revenge? His best friend and the girl who loved him never gave up on him. AU.
1. Prologue: No Return

**My first SasuSaku story, and I have to say I'm very excited to do it. :D It's a sort of "Beauty and the Beast" situation, and was inspired by a beautiful fanart of Sakura kissing Sasuke in his Curse Mark second stage, sword in his hand - a beautiful and sad image, indeed. To keep it brief for now, with a slight twist to the Valley of Death fight between Naruto and Sasuke (the first between them in the original show), Sasuke has exhausted himself in his Cursed Mark second state to the point of no return, if you take my meaning, but still carries out going to Orochimaru. In other words, he's doomed to remain that way permanently, and the Snake Sannin won't change him back. Years later, he manages to break free and roams the nation the way he is, craving vengeance other than the one he harbors for his brother Itachi. Also in the meantime, Naruto and Sakura as well as the others haven't given up on him, but what will happen when word gets out that a strange creature is in the wild - and the vicious stories prove to be more truthful than myth? A certain hyperactive Kyuubi kid and a pink-haired vixen who still loves the missing young ninja with all her heart will do everything they can to bring him back.**

 **Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters do NOT belong to me, but to their respectful owners.**

Prologue

No Return

 _"Sasuke...you were the first real friend I ever had. You were alone in the beginning as I was...and now you have turned against all of us. But it doesn't matter, because no matter what it takes, I'm bringing you back to the Hidden Leaf Village - if I have to break EVERY SINGLE BONE IN YOUR BODY!"_

He found himself looking over the fallen body of the boy he once called a friend, teammate and comrade. He allowed a small, tired smile to form on his dusky, marked face, his wings flapping tiredly when he loomed over the unconscious blond whose face showed signs of strain and waste of chakra - from childish shadow clones to the Rasengan, and his battle with Kimimaro? Sasuke chuckled and shook his head. _Breaking every bone in my body is nowhere near that pitiful duel. And for once, he made a promise he couldn't keep._

 _I'm sorry, Naruto._

The twisted features of the Nine-Tailed Fox were slowly fading away. The ominous red chakra had done the last shot in eating away the last of Naruto's precious power just to try and match the Curse from Orochimaru - which made Sasuke Uchiha realize it was time for him to return to normal as well. He had an oath to fulfill and revenge to take against dear brother Itachi.

 _"You're still too weak, little brother. You don't have enough hate, and you know something? You NEVER will."_

How dare Itachi say he didn't have enough hate! Oh, he would show him, prove him wrong. When he got to Orochimaru, he would get that power he was promised. This Curse Mark gave him enough - the proof was lying before him - but it wasn't everything.

He could feel it all, his chakra ebbing away. It would be better if he reverted back to normal. He hadn't known the effects of this thing, but when he did, to feel the wings explode from his back and give him more agility and the ability to fly, all the Chidori and fire to lash out at his former friend, and it was amazing!

His lips pulled back, exposing his teeth along with the little fangs that sprouted. _All that power...I could kill Itachi with this if I can...but I must change back._ He sighed and rolled his shoulders. He was tired now because his chakra was drained.

His veins thrummed, his nerves on fire - but nothing happened. He didn't feel the wings suck back into his body, and upon putting a finger in his mouth, his sharp teeth were lingering as well. Looking down at his reflection in the water, Sasuke suppressed a shocked gasp. Black eyes centered with blood-red Sharingan glared back at him, set in a face of murky tan, and a strange but irritating cross-formed ink lay between his eyes and over his nose. And his dark hair grew out and wild, colored gray-blue. Would he be surprised if the hair down there was the same...?

 _Where the hell did THAT thought come from?_ Sasuke shook his head in disgust. _And why didn't I change back?_

A moan brought his attention back to Naruto. The other boy was coming to; he needed to go. But first - Sasuke felt his Leaf headband slide from his forehead, having come undone at some point. He would no longer need this, but he took one last look at this final tie to break to his former village and the people in it. Clawed hands clutched it briefly before tossing it down to the unconscious Nine-Tails vessel before taking off into flight.

The waterfall roared between the two statues of the founders of the Hidden Leaf Village - Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju, the future First Hokage - which was ironic, considering what he and Naruto shared one last time. Now that bond was broken for good...but if he knew Naruto Uzumaki better, the dobe would just wake up and continue to grasp that delusion of his.

 _You said you understood my pain and loneliness...but you never had family or the bonds I had. You NEVER will, Naruto._

~o~

Naruto bowed his head in grief and guilt. _I failed you, Sasuke. I wasn't strong enough..._ His head then raised and looked ahead at the opened window, where the sun was setting.

 _But I swear to you I won't give up on you. I told you I never go back on my Ninja Way._

Pervy Sage's words continued to haunt him: _what happened was meant to be. If you are to become a great Shinobi one day, the first step is to put Sasuke out of your mind. If you are to be a fool for the rest of your life, then you won't last long enough in this world._ He snarled and clenched his fists, gathering some blanket into them.

"Sorry, Pervy Sage," he said quietly, "I won't give up, but I'd rather be a fool and honor my word for my friend than let him go like this..."

"Naruto."

Naruto looked up and saw Sakura standing there. He thought she'd gone home, so he had to admit he was surprised to still see her here. To see her smile - it was the opposite of what he knew was living within her beautiful grassy eyes. She loved Sasuke so much even if it was a stupid fangirl's heart, but because he cared about her, Naruto was willing to make her happy by going after their teammate when the chance would be given by Granny Tsunade.

"I'm not giving up, Sakura," he said softly. "You can say it's fine all you want, but I'll make a promise to you..."

"...and I am with you," she finished quietly, going over to him and sitting back down beside him on the bed, taking in the sight of him all bandaged up. It was then and there that a fresh tear fell down one cheek, and those words were spilling with each increase. The sobs wrenched at him just as horribly as Sasuke's hateful, cruel words of severing the bond they once shared.

"Naruto, this is a...once in a lifetime chance...bring him home."

~o~

"So, when can I get my power?"

When he first arrived, he was greeted with a sickening grin and a lick of the lips from the legendary Snake Sannin whose silky, slithering accent made his skin crawl. But Sasuke tried his hardest to not let it get to him, only remind himself he would get what he wanted and then leave if he wanted. But Orochimaru only looked at him from the corner of his eye and said nothing, only twitched at one corner of his mouth. It was Kabuto, the spiteful right hand who snapped at him.

"I would watch the way I speak to Lord Orochimaru if I were you, Sasuke."

"I'll speak to him however I want," the Uchiha snarled back. "I'll kill you if I must. I don't know why you are so useful to him anyway..." The snake himself interrupted with a click of his vile tongue.

"Dear Sasuke, don't fight on your first day here. We wouldn't want any unpleasantries before we begin the training you so desired, do we?"

Sasuke huffed, his wings flapping once. His flesh crawled, itching to return to human form. "But, my _lord,_ " he sneered sarcastically, "what can you do about my state now? You don't want to train me like this, do you?"

The glimmer in those yellow eyes answered the question for him.

 **I'd been talking to my boyfriend about Sasuke being unable to return to his human stage, and he'd said it was logical enough that the stress of locking him and the massive absorption of chakra would lock him in and definitely take the toll. This changes absolutely so much, doesn't it?**

 **I say this only once at the beginning of each story I do, and only once: read and review, but no flaming please. Flamers are absolutely intolerable. I'm sorry if I sound snobbish, but who doesn't hate nasty talk and foul language?**


	2. Man or Beast?

**I came to the conclusion that since Sasuke is trapped in his Curse form, the Fourth Great Ninja War is likely to NEVER happen, so a lot definitely changes here. That's the idea of an alternate universe, after all: some things change, others stay the same.**

Chapter One

Man or Beast?

Ten years.

Ten long years, and they failed to bring Sasuke home.

And in that time, her friends as well as herself had grown up physically and mentally - to the degree they could, at least.

Sakura Haruno found herself looking at her reflection in the mirror of her bedroom in the apartment she shared with Ino, who was soon to move out and in with her fiancée, Sai, because they were getting married next week. _My, how time flies._ Gone was the sprightly girl she used to be, with the long pastel-colored hair that she had to cut off during the Chunin Exams when she put herself on the line for her two best friends, no longer wanting to be the stupid damsel in distress who needed the men to protect her.

The woman - _young_ woman, but mature all the same - staring back at her was with hair that touched her shoulders, slightly tousled when she tried to tame it, but in the medical field, you got messy and only put the well-being of the patients before your own. However, Lady Tsunade said sternly and loudly that you had to ensure you are alive and well for those in your care, for if you were at risk, then so was the rest of your team. And the look on poor Ino's face when Sakura took her in as her deputy!

She fastened her headband across her head, at the top like she had since Genin days, smiling a little to herself. _The more things change, the more they stay the same._

If only she could say the same for the photograph that she continued to keep beside her bed at night: of her, Naruto, Kakashi-Sensei...and _Sasuke._ The good old days before -

"Billboard Brow, are you ready yet? Lady Tsunade will have our asses if we are late!" her roommate and former love rival called outside the door, making Sakura roll her eyes. Even to this day, and despite Ino moving on from Sasuke, they continued to throw their nicknames of "Ino Pig" and "Billboard Brow" at each other, but no longer maliciously.

"Yeah, you just watch," she said when she finally joined the blonde. Ino's long ponytail had been cut a little shorter a couple years back, but otherwise kept it as it was. "Let's see who needs our help today, right?" She looped her hand through Ino's, just for the hell of it because life had been good to them as of late - and then the pink-haired woman glimpsed the twinkling chain of diamonds around THAT finger, getting a sinking pit in her stomach.

 _It wasn't Naruto's fault, but he did try. If he had succeeded - if all of us had - then Sasuke would be here, and I'd be wearing his ring now._ But there was no sense dwelling on the past. She hadn't been lucky to find someone else, even though Lee tried to be there for her, but he just wasn't boyfriend material. Sakura had hurt his feelings when they were still teens, unable to put aside her heartache.

Sometimes she regretted not giving him a chance, but what could she say when she confided in Naruto? "Don't even lie to yourself when you say you are moving on from him," he'd told her heatedly, taking her by both arms in the effort to knock sense into her. It did work, but look at her now. Twenty-three years old and still single. But she was still young, had plenty of time to get married someday and have a family.

"You'd better catch up to me, Sakura," Ino teased her when she noticed where her friend was looking. "Before you turn thirty, at least. By then, you'd be too old for a man and popping out babies."

"What, Ino Pig? Are you saying you're ready to get pregnant now?"

"Sai and I talked about it, yeah."

 _Well, have fun. While I let my ovaries and my entire body get older and older with no activity._

~o~

He was not looking forward to this in the slightest. _Mating season._ His lips curled in disgust, baring his fangs and snarling aloud. His wings flapped with irritation and disappointment.

 _Damn the serpent for doing this to me._

Seven years of this torture, pain and pleasure in one - it was a curse, if you asked him. He was doomed to live like this, maybe for the rest of his life, but he broke free from the old perverted slither just because he wanted his freedom; there was only one person to know the secrets of changing him back, but Orochimaru damned him by refusing to give him satisfaction. Was he lying to him, or simply buying time while he relished his little pet's writhing under the influence of the Curse Mark?

 _Which is permanent because of HIM._

But he didn't die, not like the others before him.

And this was a so-called side effect: animalistic heat. The urge to mate.

His body's flush of sexual agony lashed out towards anyone passed his way by his master, but with his freedom, he picked and chose one candidate per year; the season lasted two weeks like the average wild beast. Orochimaru must have taken great pleasure when he discovered this during their first experiment on his system. "Oh, my, dear Sasuke," he'd tittered excitedly when he beheld the sight of the shamefully aroused beast-boy on his table, "you're in heat! What a surprise! I never anticipated anything like this..."

That was when he first brought the chained boy his very first "partner" - a male, and while it sated him for the time being, the man himself wasn't enough, but Orochimaru didn't seem to care, because physically so, he wasn't so appealing to the beast-boy's eyes. It occurred sometimes to follow in and out of the Snake Sage's hideout.

And now here, in the wild between the Sound and Leaf regions, this one beneath him was only one of the last straws threatening to crack the last of his sanity.

Red hair, matching eyes behind a pair of spectacles - reminding him too much of Kabuto, the slimeball who was the snake's little puppy to follow - filled with so much fear, combined with enjoyment of what he was doing to her, which disgusted him to no end. He was completely naked while she had her skirt pushed up to the waist; she was mostly clothed because he couldn't stand the sight of her body. He smelled it off of her and saw it in her eyes that she wanted him to see her, but he would not grant her that pleasure. His own was what mattered; she was disposable like the ones that came before her.

Snarling, he grabbed the hand that tried to reach and caress his face. _No one_ was allowed to touch any part of him. His claws closed around that wrist enough to warn her, and she got the message, biting her lip and nodding frantically. "Please," she whispered, bucking her connected hips to him. A wave of sizzling pleasure shot through his pelvis, causing him to growl. _You asked for it._

His climax reached its peak when her walls closed in on him, his seed spilling into her channels. White flashed before his eyes only to fade and show her before him, fiery hair splayed out and her spectacles sliding down her nose. The ecstasy in her features made him sick enough to pull out of her as soon as the last of his essence was inside her. She could lie there all she wanted and savor the last of it...and he _did_ mean this was her last.

Growling in his throat, he pulled his wrap back around his waist to cover his moist, softening manhood.

"I'm sorry, Karin."

When she came to him, she'd told him that he'd been the one to rescue her that day of the Chunin Exams in the Forest of Death - oh, yes, the great snake of Orochimaru. He did recall a girl of his own age with her glasses fallen from her face, and he'd told her that she was only getting in the way.

Just as she was now.

He leaned over her now, but when she looked up at him upon readjusting her eye glasses, his teeth bared with renewed bloodlust when he caught sight of her exposed, vulnerable neck, marked savagely with red from his bite, marking her. A marking meant this was your property, but this property bored him to his core. There was one thing left to do - and it involved blood spilled like a naturally made canvas.

~o~

"Oh, God, Neji!"

To see one of her comrades and Hinata's cousin like this, having been returned from assignment in the Sound Village - _Orochimaru_ \- and was suffering from near-impalement to the stomach. Blood stained his tunic to dark maroon, but it wasn't anything she hadn't seen before in her life. Ino, however, was on the verge of fainting. "Ino, pull it together!" Sakura snapped, and the blonde did just that.

The Hyuga looked up at her with glazing opal-colored eyes, but he was strong enough to hold it out. The masked med ninjas helped her get him onto the operating table. He'd been spiked pretty good, but it wasn't life-threatening. _Unless we move fast._ Sakura hurriedly put both her hands over that side and concentrated her chakra with his, the green light glowing and alleviating the pain while working the networks back into place. It was so deep, ghastly, and so delicate that time HAD to be on their side...

 _Just a little more..._

She was forever grateful to be the apprentice of the famed Snail Princess, granddaughter of the First Hokage. Someday she would REALLY be on Tsunade's level; at the present, she gave it all to one of her fallen friends. The punctured muscle, bones and nerves were back together in no time. Exhausted for the moment, Sakura looked over her handiwork and wiped her forehead, smiling at the peacefully relaxed Neji. "Sleep well for now, comrade."

Before he was carted away, one of his eyes opened and offered the best smile he could give. Neji Hyuga rarely smiled, much like a certain someone far more tortured than he was, the wounds much deeper. "Thank you, Sakura," he said softly, then adverted his attention to the other woman, "and Ino."

Closing her eyes and clasping her hands in front of herself, Ino following suit, she breathed her relief in a silent prayer. But there was more to come.

Past noonday, she was called from the ward to the Hokage's office.

"Lady Fifth," Sakura said upon arriving, bowing respectfully, then noticed who else was there. Naruto, Shikamaru, Tenten and of course, Lee - all looking grim, but Naruto even moreso. Her gut began to sink. "What's going on?" she asked Tsunade who pursed her lips tightly.

"Sakura," her mentor and mother figure spoke gravely, "we received very disturbing word throughout the nation. I don't need to ask if any of you remember the gruesome tales of the 'Man-Beast of the Wild'?"

She felt her eyes widen, even moreso connecting with Naruto's out of everyone else. For seven years, there were vicious rumors - which gradually became legend in a short period of time - regarding a "winged human-formed beast" who couldn't possibly be human. The "Man-Beast of the Wild", everyone called, for there were no clear definitions of what this creature looked like, no historical ties - in fact, nothing to prove fact from fiction. But the death tolls numbering below ten in the last decade, and the grisly details of the corpses...

 _Ritualistic mutilation, following sexual activity._

In short: a dissatisfied beast on the hunt for a mate.

And in Sakura's mind: _a literal sexual predator._ She couldn't help but shudder, which caught the eye of her mentor who continued. "He struck again, and this time it was one of our own. Naruto..." She looked at him now with a sympathizing face along with burning eyes. "...it was Karin Uzumaki, your cousin."

 _Karin Uzumaki...wait, Naruto had a COUSIN?_ Sakura couldn't believe what she'd heard. Lee, Tenten, and Shikamaru had their jaws dropped nearly to the floor. And Naruto?

 _ **What do you think, Billboard?**_ her other inner self asked, mentally slapping her. _**Typical wild Naruto will never grow up, you know that!**_

"Wait - THE HELL?!" he exclaimed, jumping off his feet. "I HAVE A COUSIN?! THERE ARE OTHER UZUMAKI THAT ARE STILL ALIVE?!"

"Shut up, Naruto," Sakura growled, slapping him at the back of the head. Tsunade exhaled sharply and bowed her head.

"Yes, Naruto...you have a cousin. _Had,_ " she corrected. "Distant, since you never knew her."

The Hokage closed her eyes, accepting the written autopsy from Shizune who had TonTon in both arms as usual, the poor little pig oinking with sheer fright; the aide herself was swallowing as she dreaded the expected worst, but her mistress fared no better. "Well, how do I put this...just like the others before her. She's the fifth female, sexually assaulted and then devoured in the neck as well as one breast, then the upper right thigh." Even THAT would make a non-medical nin faint. "I'm sorry to tell you this, Naruto, and the rest of you, but we found the body in the forest adjacent to our border and the Sound Village. She was brought immediately to us, and I had the best team look into her DNA records, and we are currently trying to match the semen found inside her..."

Sakura swallowed. Their surrounding nations had losses of their own, but unable to match the databases in their systems - but maybe with one who was related to the famed Naruto Uzumaki of the Hidden Leaf Village, hopefully they would get a known match to see WHO this winged demon might be...

She clenched her fists and found her eyes meeting those around her, all asking the same question.

 _This thing...this monster...man or beast...what the hell are we dealing with?_

 **This was REALLY disturbing to bring to life. (shudders) Even the writer/fan can be spooked easily. And you know what they say: if you yourself are scared as much as the characters within, then so is the audience.**


	3. And a Match Made

**I'd just picked up "My little beast" by Itachi's little Weaselette, which is ALSO where Sasuke is trapped in Curse Mark form, though in that story, which was also NEVER completed, he'd ignored Orochimaru when he went past his limit, so that inspired me to also bring this story to life. Orochimaru also gave Beast-Sasuke to his brother Itachi as a pet - and yeah, you can tell what transpires from there. It's pretty mildly disturbing there, but it's definite yaoi there.**

 **NOT what you will see in here, however. ;D**

 **In the meantime, sexually aggressive Beast-Sasuke with Sakura eventually later on - since we know Naruto, he's definitely gonna bring himself along. Things are gonna be tense if they aren't now...**

Chapter Two

And a Match Made

"Geez, I had a cousin and never knew it," Naruto was babbling later that evening when Sakura had it in herself to treat him, Hinata and herself to Ichiraku's, just because she felt she owed it to him after the news earlier. But somehow neither of them had an appetite.

Hinata hadn't been there when she received the word, but learning about it from her boyfriend sent her into a near-convulsive state. The poor woman had a faint heart despite her fantastic strength inspired by Naruto since they were children. And Sakura?

 _God, I have handled so much, but this..._

She had seen images of the previous victims, got to see the corpse of Karin Uzumaki, though Naruto vomited his lunch at the sight. At least he got to see a long-lost relative. He hadn't even discovered who his parents had been, or any others, and his curiosity was on the rise even more now. The late Third Hokage once told him that asking questions would never raise the dead, so young Naruto had stopped asking him altogether. Sakura Haruno, however, grew up with two loving parents, so she never knew what he and Sasuke went through.

She gritted her teeth. It was all because of Sasuke's brother... _Itachi..._ the one who almost took Naruto away and called his little brother weak...

That was why Sasuke abandoned them all - including HER. No one knew his pain, and she thought she did. _If only I could now..._

Suddenly she thought about the body examined: _the fifth female...sexually assaulted and then devoured in the neck as well as one breast, then the upper right thigh_ \- what kind of _MONSTER_ could do something like that?! It made her want to throw up her ramen.

"Sakura?" Naruto looked at her with wide eyes.

"Are you sick?" Hinata asked worriedly, blinking rapidly. "I can get you something myself?"

She shook her head quickly, forcing herself to swallow some pork. "No, I'm fine, Hinata. Thank you, though," she said with a small smile before Ayame offered her some tea to soothe, which she gladly accepted.

When she returned home that night, Ino wasn't home. _She must be with Sai,_ the pink-haired woman remembered, not that she ever minded being alone. That meant she could have her time alone for what occurred at all times that no one ever had control over. You'd think she grew up from this, but it wasn't her actual choice to make. It was mental and emotional besides physically.

 _Sasuke..._

 _"You haven't changed a bit. You're still annoying."_ Those were the last words he said the night he left. She tried to stop him, screamed her love and willing to help him - and failed. He was right when he said she would never understand what he wanted. And now...where was he now? It brought her back to the day she, Naruto, Captain Yamato and Sai tried to retrieve him from Orochimaru's lair, failing and only finding Kabuto and the Snake.

"Sasuke isn't here. You will never see him, my dear," the serpent hissed when he was close enough to her. "Even if you do find him on your own accord, he's just not...the one you remember. You'd drop dead with horror if you saw him..."

Just WHAT did that bastard mean by that?

Sakura hadn't thought of that for years, since then, but now that she thought of it... _what about that man-beast everyone talks about? The hungry predator that devoured five women and two men after having sex with them, deciding they weren't worth his time...if it's even a HE..._

 _"Every time we try to reach Sasuke, he's always far from reach - DAMN IT!"_ Naruto had roared and slammed his fist into the stoned wall then and there. They'd searched far and wide, finding the hiding place, but if there was one thing Orochimaru was right about, it was that Sasuke was no longer in his grasp. He never divulged the details, but he'd escaped somehow. Just how often did _anyone_ escape Orochimaru of their own will?

Her stomach clenched before pooling below, bringing forth the throb she felt since preteen years when she was assigned to Sasuke and Naruto's team, and then Kakashi was the one to take them together. At that time, it was hormone reactions, but as time went on, this became a habit of hers, at random times which she had to save when she was alone in her room, with Ino around or no.

Sakura headed right for her bedroom, stuffed to her stomach after the ramen, but there was one thing to get from the fridge: the cherry-flavored gel reserved for THIS. _It's supposed to be Sasuke doing this to me...but he keeps slipping away. I don't even know where he is anymore. And no one else has caught my attention._ She sighed sadly when she set the small tube on her bedside table, stripping down to her birthday suit and slipping beneath the bed, picking the cherry-flavored lube into her grip. _Lee isn't the one because he doesn't stir this reaction in me, but he would have made me smile._

The orgasm that erupted was worth the trouble in the end.

She fell asleep, content and relaxed, deciding a cleaning up could wait till the morning instead. When she awoke on time - she always set her alarm - she noticed her nude self and giggled a little. But then she jumped at the knocking on her door. "Hold on, Ino!" she yelled, but then the door opened - only it wasn't her roommate. Shrieking angrily, she pulled the covers to her chest. "NARUTO, YOU IDIOT! YOU'LL NEVER GROW UP, WILL YOU?!"

He flushed but otherwise avoided looking at her, quickly ducking and closing the door a crack. "Sorry, Sakura - but Granny Tsunade was supposed to have the...sperm identified in a few days, but they came in sooner than expected. She wants us to see it, just you and me." By the way he said it, he sounded like he wanted to faint, afraid of what would be found, and even though she was a medical ninja, Sakura was just as nervous.

Quickly, she threw off the covers and hurried to pull her clothes on, deciding a shower wasn't needed just for today.

~o~

"Naruto, we got a match on the semen sample," the Hokage said grimly. She'd sent Kakashi to bring him to her office instead of summoning Sakura right away, which he thought was odd, but she said she had her reasons.

"It's far more complicated than that," Tsunade said softly. "You need to bring her immediately." Even the look in Kakashi-Sensei's eyes made him think the worst. Naruto was not an idiot entirely; oh, his stomach was rolling more than ever. He swallowed and nodded; if he questioned her more now, she would just erupt, and it wasn't a good time.

"Okay, Grandma, I'll go get her."

"Bring her fast, Naruto," Kakashi said somberly, shaking his head and sighing sharply.

Naruto was unable to control the fear in his heart - and little did he know that that fear would be more than he and Sakura realized. Especially _Sakura._

After an initial mild beatdown for walking in on her in her room by accident, they were back at Tsunade's office in no time. Just the two of them along with Kakashi-Sensei and the granny herself, along with Shizune and the frightened TonTon who nibbled on her snack nervously and finally gave up due to an upset stomach. _Will that be what we get to feel?_ "Well, whose is it?" Naruto dared to ask - and there was a dramatic pause before the woman handed him and Sakura the papers with a bitten bottom lip...

...and the name written down sent him into a shrieking state, and Sakura fainted despite her professionalism.

~o~

 _"...she's waking up."_

 _"Thank God! Just like the old days: she faints, I scream - and, uh..."_

 _"You don't need to explain, Na -"_

She was coming out of her stupor when she became aware of who was over her. "Naruto," she finished without a beat, opening her eyes to look at him and then - "My lady, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to faint..." The older woman placed a tender hand over her forehead.

"You were in shock. Believe me, I understand, Sakura." Tsunade sighed sharply and turned to look out the window beside them. TonTon jumped onto the bed and oinked nervously. Smiling, Sakura accepted the adorable little sow into her arms. "But you deserved to know, you both the first ones..."

The name of the owner of the sperm discovered within Naruto's long-lost cousin kept repeating itself over and over in her head, causing a headache to rise. The similar pain was present in Naruto's bright blues which glazed over when they dared to not break eye contact with her.

 _Uchiha Sasuke..._

 _Uchiha Sasuke..._

 _UCHIHA SASUKE..._

 _Oh, gods...now I really wanna throw up._

On cue, her stomach heaved, and she turned to her side and unleashed it all into the trash bin. The sinful taboo name brought back the old pain she learned to live with only to return with a terrible vengeance.

 _The Man-Beast of the Wild is my Sasuke..._

"That brings me back..." Naruto trailed off, a tear shining as it fell down his cheek. Sakura had to raise her head to see it and felt one of her own burn her skin. "...to what I told you. I never thought it would turn out like that...so that was what he meant..."

The snake's words hissed in her memory, maybe above all their heads: _"Even if you do find him on your own accord, he's just not...the one you remember. You'd drop dead with horror if you saw him..."_

And now that he'd said it, she was afraid, lost all control of her internal strength. Naruto had said that the Curse Mark from Orochimaru had turned Sasuke physically outside as it had inside - oh, the victims in the reports, mutilated females...including Karin... _how had Sasuke become such a DEMON?_

 _And where is he now...?_

The latest report said he was within the forest between this village and the Sound. If he was still there...there was no doubt where this train of thought was taking her.

"Here, have some water, Sakura." Lady Tsunade offered her said glass which she took, but somehow the pure fluid tasted bitter on her tongue. Her taste buds were working against her. She tasted her own tears which mixed with it. "You should rest up today, but tomorrow we talk the serious matters. You, too, Naruto." The grim tone underlined that the others were going to learn about this as well. The blond knew what she was implying.

 _Naruto...we might see him again. She's going to give the order; I know it. But he's not the one we remember...physically..._

 _...but what about_ inside?

~o~

"So many years since I last saw him," the serpent mused, reclining back against his throne. The dancing candlelight flickered across his pale, narrow face, intensifying the lines of his eternally young visage. "Yes, I released him - only because three years of keeping him chained down like a wild animal has done no justice. I needed that body...but alas, the Curse Mark has its mysteries that even I have not found yet." _I really did my best to attempt to tame the beast, but the nursling Uchiha proves to bear more fire than I anticipated. He resisted me so well..._

Orochimaru bared his teeth with a satisfied gleam.

"But dear Sasuke is still so strong that he can survive." He'd kept his tabs on Sasuke-kun these past several years, licking his lips at the bloodlust his would-have-been vessel had undergone, including one such Karin. Oh, the joy! That girl had her usefulness and instead proved once more when she got her "dream come true" with dear Sasuke recently.

He narrowed his eyes then, golden eyes twinkling with the licking light. His current body he'd had for a year, yet he still craved the one he should have acquired...

 **I LOVE Orochimaru - talk about a fabulous, deliciously wicked villain who charms and devours. XD He's so vile that you love to hate him. I remember the first time I saw him in the original show, I was frozen with horror and went "Oh, my God, he scares the s*** out of me", lol.**


	4. Driven Deep to the Bones

Chapter Three

Driven Deep to the Bones

 _Ten years since I last saw him. He is still too weak._

Red Sharingan eyes closed in utter disappointment.

 _He never improved. In fact, he has sunk far lower than the Snake._

He closed his fingers into each other, leaning back against the chair of his private room of the Akatsuki base. Kisame sat across from him, indulging in the latest of a species of sharks rescued from the ocean - he wasn't stereotyping his partner, but it was implanted in his genes, after all.

On his part, he had kept his tabs on his foolish little brother. "Man-Beast of the Wild, hn..." he murmured, opening his eyes again to look into the fire. "How very few to none know the truth. Sasuke, you let your hate and rage, determination and revenge get the best of you. You honestly thought he would help you...how did it feel to become a caged animal?"

Kisame looked up from his reading and grinned. "Too bad, eh, Itachi? The little brat got it all coming to him. Too bad you did everything you could," he said slyly, making the Uchiha narrow his eyes.

 _Yes,_ he mused to himself. _Too bad...and he had all the chance in the world to come and find me. He still does not have the eyes I do, and he could not kill his best friend. He's hiding like the coward he truly is, ashamed of his monstrous appearance, sinking low to survive in the wild._

However, within the depths of his dark soul, Itachi Uchiha pitied his younger brother, imagining how much he was suffering, knowing there wasn't a damn thing he could do for Sasuke.

~o~

He was starving. He wasn't human on the outside anymore, but there was a part of him inside that still was.

He had no place to go when Orochimaru let him go - why had the snake decided to do so? He couldn't even change him back! _Did he think that I wasn't useful to him anymore?_

If he said he didn't learn anything under the Serpent Sage, he would be lying. He hadn't always been chained in a cell and given a mating candidate only to devour that dissatisfaction in the end. Satiating unwanted carnal appetites wasn't always what he would live for; he needed other means to survive.

Even if it meant to steal and kill to get what was necessary.

 _How the mighty have fallen,_ as it went, he thought sarcastically as he returned to his cave within the mountains. It was late afternoon; his hunt consisted of wild rabbit to skin and boil over the fire, paired with some herbs he plucked from the ground himself. The smell made his stomach church and ache for precious meat and juices. It would have been mistaken for a sexual reference, but that wasn't what it was.

His wings rested down on his back sides, relaxed from flight. He still used kunai and shuriken, still kept his training intact as he refused to let his chakra die on him. But hunting for Itachi proved far more difficult than before. Was his brother keeping an eye on him somewhere? It brought him back to the day he ran across his brother shortly after leaving Orochimaru...

 _"You little fool...you've gone beyond what I anticipated. Tell me, Sasuke: is this what you wanted when you came to face me? The Mangekyo Sharingan...I assume you never read the ancient texts that I specifically instructed you to read that night?"_

 _"Oh, you're not turning this onto me, Itachi. But yes, I have."_

 _"Then why am I looking upon a monstrosity instead of my own little brother? A creation of Orochimaru - he saw your inner self and thought to use you to obtain your body as well as the Sharingan. Are you not aware that he tried to grasp me...until he sought a new opportunity in YOU?"_

Itachi had been "casually" in the area, as he put it. Sasuke had been flying and came to land when fate must have been kind to bring him face to face with the slaughterer of the Uchiha clan. Sasuke remembered assuming the position and ready to draw his sword that had been given to him by Orochimaru, to clash with Itachi's, but when he did, out of sheer rage and hate, the katana that spilled his family's blood hissed unpleasantly.

He should have known it was all too easy when he finally struck Itachi down with the Chidori in his sword, straight through that cold, unfeeling heart, pinning him to the earth. "You have...gotten strong, Sasuke," the elder had choked out just as blood was spilling out from both corners of his mouth, satisfying the younger to his core...he could finally see the light leave his eyes after years of this...

...but damn him! Itachi's eyes turned black, depthless as night, and then erupted into a flock of crows, screeching as they took flight.

 _"You didn't pay heed that this might be my_ _Tsukuyomi, didn't you, Sasuke? You were too eager to kill me to see through..."_

A mistake he swore he'd never repeat.

 _"It appears you need more time, little brother. You won't have your day to kill me. I must leave you to your fate as it is."_

 _"Seriously, you're condemning me like this?!"_

 _"You're not worthy for me to take you into the Akatsuki, and you honestly think the Leaf Village will take you back the way you are now? You're not even a sight to behold. The foolish Kyuubi you once called a friend...he never let you go, and neither has the young_ kunoichi _, but you turned your back on them and your fellow Shinobi...and yet I wonder: why could you not kill them instead?"_

He shut his eyes at the memory of his response, recalling looking down his unconscious former teammate and best friend at the great waterfall guarded by the opposing statues of their founders. _"Naruto wasn't the one I wanted to kill."_

The smile Itachi had given him was cruel in itself. _"That proves you're still too weak. You considered him and the girl an obstacle holding you back. Could it be that you still possess a soft spot?"_

Closing his fingers into fists, his claws threatened to pierce his flesh and draw blood, spill it into his food now in his lap. His cooking tools he'd taken from the last village. Often he would sneak in and "borrow" until he no longer had use, returning to their real owners. There was always more where that came from. Baring his teeth, Sasuke bit into the sumptuous meat, the sweet juices igniting a certain pleasure in his stomach. He moaned, closing his eyes to become lost in his own little world.

 _"SHUT YOUR MOUTH, ITACHI!"_ He'd unleashed the Chidori stream, but only as a warning to the amusement of the elder.

 _"Hn...it seems I pushed one too many buttons,_ otouto. _I've said enough of my share. But take it like this: take as long as you wish, harness yourself however you see fit, since the Snake no longer saw you as useful, and no one else will welcome a monstrosity into their midst. They would only cower in fear, curse at your very existence, no matter your name and history if they hadn't heard already. Flee...cling to your own wretched life...then when you DO have that hatred, come and find me once again."_

 _Those words...exactly what he told me that night...that night when I was so young, alone and afraid...betrayed..._

And to discover this Itachi he had spoken to, confronted, was a mere shadow clone all along, unleashed the inner wrath he now took upon the empty pan with remaining rabbit juices. His roars bounced off the cave walls, the flashing flames emphasizing his despair. The bones of the dead animal scattered across the rugged ground, joining the others before it.

 _A monster...that's what I am._ He looked down at his hands and his body when he calmed down. Taking in the dusky skin, the honed limbs and everything else, but the perfect sculpture would not make up for the hideous face he had now, along with the demonic wings which would protrude from his back when he needed to fly - or even how his body writhed for another during this terrible part of the year. _Thank Kami mating season is almost over...until next year._

It made him realize the true depth of his loneliness, every year, every time he did this. After ten years of throwing everything away in his quest for revenge, sacrificing his humanity even, what did he get in return? He felt his body getting stronger, but to carry out his goal?

"What has everything I've done gotten me?" Sasuke seethed aloud. No one was here to listen to his rants. "I spent my whole life trying to catch up to someone else: first my brother, then Naruto...and now I'm still unable to amount no matter how hard I try!" Furiously, he threw both fists down on the ground, the earth shaking beneath him and threatening to escape beyond this area of the mountain.

Sasuke Uchiha closed his eyes, eyes stinging with tears, and collapsed in a heap, howling subsiding into pitiful whimpers. He could just hear them all laughing at him: Orochimaru...his brother...

 _What if I no longer have a purpose...?_

~o~

She was in the hospital for the rest of the day, staring up at the ceiling and bored to her bones. She was bored, tired, and numb in one. Naruto had stayed with her for awhile before Tsunade told him to go home; he begrudgingly agreed. Ino came in to bring her flowers, and Sai was with her when he heard the word from Kakashi-Sensei. He was a member of Team Seven, after all; and Ino's glazing eyes said it all. She had moved on from Sasuke a long time ago, but it didn't stop her from mourning.

And Sakura was feeling far more than that.

 _How could Sasuke become such a...?_ She stopped herself from using the words: _demon...monster...freak..._ Everyone called him that, but no one knew the identity until now. Only no one else outside their group - herself, Lady Tsunade, Shizune and poor TonTon, Kakashi and Naruto, and now these two - knew the truth. YET. Sooner or later, it would get out, but Tsunade had her strict orders it would remain that way for the time being.

Speaking of which, the lady herself decided to slip away from her suffocating office and those terrible loads of paperwork just to "see her". She was sitting up when the older woman tenderly raised a hand to beckon her to relax. She reclined back down comfortably.

"I don't know if I should ask how you still feel about him," the Snail Sannin said somberly, closing her eyes and sitting down on the edge of the bed, looking out at the window. "But I also don't need to remind you that he's not the boy you remember..."

"No, my lady," Sakura said softly. "I just...can't believe...Orochimaru really turned him into something else." She bared her teeth and felt her lips curl when she dared to even mention that monster's name. Wherever he was now, she hoped that someone would kill him, but he was one of the legendary Sannin like Tsunade and Master Jiraiya...

It seemed to be much harder for her mistress to say the name of her former teammate as much as it hurt to say Sasuke's name. "It's not like Orochimaru to let a subject roam free like that, but if I knew him well enough, he did have a reason." Unspoken but obvious: _Orochimaru wanted Sasuke's body for his own, next vessel, but because of his Curse Mark state, he just let him go because he had no use. He could have killed Sasuke to keep him quiet, but he...did he take pity or something?_

It wasn't like the wanted S-rank criminal to take pity on anyone - but Sakura never knew Orochimaru like her lady did. She hated him for everything, but she also knew not to judge by the cover.

"My lady...have you ever...had feelings for someone?" Sakura asked carefully, then stiffened when the woman visibly sucked in a breath. Maybe she asked the wrong question, maybe at the wrong time...

"Yes. His name was Dan...a long time ago. But when I lost him -" She inhaled through her nose before letting it all out. "But he wasn't the only one. I suppose I should tell you the story about him...and Orochimaru..."

Rapt with attention, Sakura found her strength to sit up and listen to the Lady Hokage's story about her first real love, her younger brother - and her relationship with her teammates, none other than Jiraiya and Orochimaru. Her heart melted and stung when she saw the parallels between her, Naruto and Sasuke as well as Kakashi-Sensei, only the late Hiruzen Sarutobi, Third Hokage in the future, was the one to take the future three Sannin as his students.

This was where Tsunade stopped when she stopped speaking about the passionate and dedicated Dan who had also made the vow to one day become Hokage, like her little brother who had died before Orochimaru's eyes; he'd been briefly under the watch of the Snake Shinobi during a mission. It had been Nawaki who also wanted to be Hokage of the village their grandfather had helped build, then Dan...and both had been wearing that crystal which Naruto now carried around his neck.

Sakura closed her eyes; so much pain so much loss of loved ones...

 _Lady Tsunade over her love's corpse, the blood on her hands...that was why she stopped being a Shinobi before Jiraiya sought her out, when Orochimaru killed their old sensei and attacked the village..._

"When Dan was buried, I...sought Orochimaru's company. Albeit temporarily filling me before I made my decision to leave."

It was that which made Sakura bolt in her seat. The image of her mistress and their sworn enemy, the man who killed Lord Third and took Sasuke away from them all - it made her stomach roll as much as seeing the photographs of the victims of the "Man-Beast" that was her... "My lady!" she gasped, causing the older woman to sigh heavily.

"You can judge me if you want, Sakura, but you need to understand it was just between us when I needed someone the most. It wasn't love in any sense between Orochimaru and myself. He was never the romantic kind, nor was he as kind carefree as Jiraiya...but he understood what I needed."

 _I..._ She chewed her bottom lip nervously. _...suppose. That man is a demon, but if that was how it was between them..._ "What about before that, before you met Dan?" she asked softly, courageously looking into amber eyes ridden with long-buried sadness as old memories rearose. "Did you ever want something more with Orochimaru?"

"I did, at first," Tsunade answered. "But there were times he brushed me off, stating that his research and experiments were more important. I was blown away, but I didn't push him - at least, not until we were adults. I used to be so interested in him because he was a real man dedicated to himself, his beliefs and passions; I saw Jiraiya as only a dear friend, but because he was always looking at other women, I doubted we would have lasted." Her eyes closed. "Orochimaru, however, had more mystery and pain than we comprehended. He's just like Sasuke in which he lost his family when he was so young and innocent. When he finally found it in himself to turn against us, immersed himself with the Forbidden Jutsu, he was discovered and escaped...but Jiraiya tried to stop him and failed." It was then and there that Sakura saw the shining of a tear down the woman's face.

 _Orochimaru and Sasuke...so alike and so different at the same time..._

 _...Naruto tried to stop Sasuke and failed, as Master Jiraiya also failed..._

 _...how could fate be so...?_

She shut her thoughts off then and there. _It was meant to be._ Did this mean she had to cease all hopes of bringing Sasuke home after all, if Tsunade and Jiraya couldn't bring back THEIR Orochimaru long ago?

"Sasuke's a monster now just like Orochimaru," she whispered, broken. "I should just let him go then..."

Her mentor abruptly turned her way, expression hard now. She slipped forward so her knee touched Sakura's. "As your mentor, I have the right to tell you that your heart can't get the best of you...but I can't tell you to control it either. It's your choice to make. I've lived with the burden for a lifetime, and if I could do that, then you are able to." Her expression softened then.

"But keep it in mind that even if you DO still love Sasuke despite everything he's done, you must do what you must as a Shinobi."

Sakura knew what that was: _I love the boy he was, but I never understood his darkness...just like Lady Tsunade never knew the depth of Orochimaru's, but she still cares for him. If we are to find him, then that means to kill him._

 **Just how ironic that the legendary Sannin (Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade) would end up each mentoring the three young Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura, and overall, their lives with each other paralleling to the three youths as a whole. And the fact that, even though we NEVER see it, Tsunade was always interested in Orochimaru and not Jiraiya who constantly pursued her, though it never went far to be a romantic relationship like she had with Dan. I had the tiny assumption that she might have been with Orochimaru after all just for comfort before leaving, and then it was his turn for his part.**

 **Jiraiya's words to Naruto: "What happened between you and Sasuke was meant to be." (just as he remembers trying to stop his own friend from leaving, walking down the dark path) Cruel, cruel fate - and now Sakura is faced with a terrible, difficult opportunity.**

 **You just have to feel bad for Sasuke right now. :( It's a mixed bag on everyone's parts. His innocence was taken from him a long time ago, and later on when he DID discover the truth about his brother, he takes a turn for the worse. To see him suffering in here shows he's not wholly a monster; he's still a person.**


	5. Rite of Spring

**I never thought I'd say this, but I'm on fire with this. XD**

Chapter Four

Rite of Spring

"T-thank you, Naruto," Hinata whispered, fingering the necklace he'd made her. It wasn't anything fussy or overtly done, but it was thanks to the stone he found with help of Tenten - it was a beautiful white granite piece splashed with blue. It was found along the shorelines of the beach, within the depths of the rocky cliffs. According to local fishermen, it was spoken as a message of love and heaven.

He laughed nervously, clasping it around her neck. It was so much like her in every sense. Pure and loving like she was. Shyly, he placed a kiss on her cheek, making her giggle. _How could I be so lucky?_

"This is something more valuable than any precious mined diamond, isn't it?" he asked, holding her close, her back against his chest as they reclined on the sofa of their apartment. Even when he did become Hokage one day, wealth wasn't on his agenda - only respect and trust. One thing was for sure, even if he had to risk his balls to her father: he would marry her one day. He wouldn't regret it; even if he did have regrets in life, he couldn't think of any.

 _Except one._

Hinata sighed like she was actually in heaven. "Naruto, this is all I would wear for you." Her fingers closed around the red scarf she'd made for him a few years ago, the red thread that bound them together.

Naruto laughed in return. "No fancy stuff then, my Byakkugan princess," he purred, nibbling her ear and emitting shudders from her quivering lips. He hoped no one invisible would take this the wrong way, but anything to try and distract him from what made him scream and Sakura faint. _Sasuke is the monster of the wild...those victims, my stomach is rolling...and what he said to me that day..._

 _"You have no idea what I have suffered, Naruto! I'm IN PAIN BECAUSE I HAD BONDS! YOU WERE ALONE FROM THE VERY BEGINNING!"_

He found himself unable to hold back a sniffle, trying to fight back the tears, which Hinata noticed and jumped, turned around, alarmed. "Naruto?!" She took his face into both hands and leaned up to kiss him. "Oh, my!" She peppered his face all over, almost like a fawning puppy that it made him laugh and hiccup at the same time.

"Oh, I'm an idiot for crying, Hina-chan," he said, tackling her to the floor, avoiding the coffee table, both of them howling with laughter. Before it got serious and he looked square into her marble eyes. "But...Sasuke..." He trusted her enough that she wouldn't say a thing, but what he had to say wasn't for the faint-heart she was...

And when he did tell her, she tried not to cry. "Naruto..." was all Hinata could get out before she wrapped her arms around him. "If you really get him this time," she said softly against his neck, "I'm afraid of what will happen. Man-beast now, he must be incredibly strong like he was that day..."

He nodded, recalling when he, Sakura, Captain Yamato and Sai found Orochimaru and Kabuto but not Sasuke. That snake...he let Sasuke go like that...and it was then and there that Naruto remembered how Sasuke looked so demented, hideous and tortured in his Curse Mark second stage. _Broken...enraged...HATEFUL..._

 _...and now look at him, what he's done on his own in the wild. I promised I would never let him go, but now I'm wondering...what should we do now? Granny is sure to send us out, but what briefing...?_

"You may be right, Hinata," he said softly to the woman he loved, "but remember I never go back on my word?" He grinned broadly. "I also made my vow to Sakura because she loves him; I know she still does. Love conquers all, does it not?" He looked deep into her soulful eyes and her sweet, passionate smile. It had to be true; he believed in everything to this day. And if he was going to be Hokage like he dreamed of since the day he was born, tomorrow he would make that claim once again.

 _You may be a flesh-eating, sex-starved beast now, Sasuke...but inside, you still must be my best friend and a human being._

~o~

So it was settled: she, Naruto, Kakashi, Yamato and Sai were to go out with some ANBU in tow to search for Sasuke where he was reportedly hiding out, where Karin Uzumaki's mutilated corpse had been recovered.

 _You'd better be there, Sasuke,_ she silently prayed. _If you say no one more time, then I'll have no choice but to use force with Naruto if I have to. If he says he can break every bone in your body if he had to...then so can I. I could have gone after you alone if I wanted to, a long time ago - but now is my chance to make up for it. Naruto won't be the one this time._

"Hey, Sakura!" the blond called to her when he joined her side. "Ready to do this after long enough?"

She returned him the small smile she could manage, knowing better than to let excitement get the best of her. That was a good enough answer to give him, because he smiled back. Kakashi-Sensei, however, was grim to the eye and in his fiber. "Don't be expecting a happy reunion, you guys," he told them.

"That's right," Yamato agreed somberly. "Just because we didn't find him at Orochimaru's last hideout doesn't mean if we do catch him, he'll be happy to see us..."

Sai looked back and forth between the members before ahead. Their ANBU followers were well-hidden, but Sakura knew they were present. "And I am here to help ensure your bond with Sasuke is still intact," he said, despite the past animosity and lack of understanding why the two of them would even care about someone who abandoned them for his own selfish reasons...but Sasuke's reasons weren't that close to being selfish. His own brother had turned him into that, Orochimaru...

Suddenly, Sakura's mind turned to Itachi. _What is he up to now? Has he seen his little brother lately? Did Sasuke ever kill him...?_

~o~

He threw his head back and moaned when the waterfall roared down on his bared back and wings which needed it apparently more than he did. Sasuke couldn't help but laugh at this moment of tranquility he was allowed only once a day - or whenever he saw fit. Today he'd found the time to test the Chidori and Fire Style out on some unfortunate trees in the area, but he always had use whenever the targets weren't needed. The village below the mountain was made prosperous in one way by selling wood for fires and building houses; he wasn't a philanthropist, but why let something resourceful go to waste like this?

Carving up those great logs added more to his straining muscles and brought more rancid sweat to the surface of his murky flesh. Wrinkling his nose, Sasuke then decided a bath in the waterfall and pool was in order.

 _Mating season at an end. Now I can enjoy myself without that meaningless trouble._ He removed his wrap around his waist and dipped into the pool, leaning back to relax. He closed his eyes, basking in the warm sun on his face...

...until a rustle in the forest snapped him alert. He bolted up, water splashing around him, and looked around, the Sharingan coming to life and detecting the trouble coming due east from his position. Leaping out, he grabbed the garment to cover his nude manhood, then his weapons and took flight.

Sasuke was at his location in a matter of moments. He perched himself on a tree branch and surveyed the scene below. He felt his eyes bulge with utter disgust and fury at what he witnessed. His claws gripped the bark and dug deep to the "bone". His teeth bared into a snarl, his mind raging beyond control.

 _A child...held by six - no, seven..._

 _The men in rags...they must be bandits..._

And their actions sent his blood into a boiling frenzy: six held the boy who couldn't be any more older than eight or nine, while one drew a vicious knife with a serrated tip and wooden handle, tearing the boy's shirt open in the back and cruelly drawing a symbol to life. The child's wails and cries of pain pierced the heavens, crying for his... _brother?_ This made Sasuke frown, furrowing his brows. Why did he say brother and not _mother?_

When the man assaulting the young one was finished, he saw what the cut carved into soft, innocent flesh was: a demonic-looking face with wild, spiked hair. Blood poured in narrow rivers south from all directions, giving the mark an even more ominous appeal than it already had. The resemblance of the creature... _wait, it looks like...!_

The carved face looked like HIM.

His blood just about erupted through his rising pores like volcanic cores.

"The Man-Beast of the Wild needs a sacrifice for the troubles we have had in our village!" the man with the blood-soaked blade declared, flourishing it, the red glimmering in the sunlight. "Too much trouble for his own needs - the time has come for him to stop taking innocent young women for himself!"

"Hn." Sasuke snorted to himself. _Fools - they see me as a flesh-eating beast, but then again, they always do. And are they foolish enough? I don't always steal an "innocent" maiden._ In fact, they had no idea how selective he was in choosing one mate per year; much of the females happened to be concubines in the streets, and only one man just for shortage's sake. And Karin? Sasuke knew her, but it was by no means friendly or personal.

 _And they must be idiotic to think that it's still mating season for me. But just how many have figured that out? To them, I'm just as animalistic as these beasts around me..._

But the sight of the boy struggling as he was tied down in broad daylight, facedown and eagle-spread, occasionally slapped to the face to shut his cries forced out the old Shinobi side of him; his bloodlust over these beasts was too tempting to pass. Letting go of the branch, he flew from his hiding place and gracefully landed before the group, standing tall in his dark avenger form and monstrosity that it made the men scream like little girls at the sight of him. They let go of their captive and looked at the demonic figure before them all.

 _The monster...the thing of our nightmares,_ their eyes said, and he relished it. They cowered in fear when they finally saw the legendary "Man-Beast of the Wild" standing before their eyes, his beastly silhouette outlined by the sun behind him. His wings flapped once and held their places, spread on either side like a bat from hell.

"Yes, cower before me," the man-beast declared, baring his teeth in a frightening grin, before he let it twist into a snarl of disgust. "But unfortunately for the lot of you, I have no interest in taking an innocent young boy when you yourselves have done things far worse to him."

"Says you!" one of them spat, both literally and figuratively. "When you have taken several around the nation! You're a creature from hell who has no place in our world!" He drew his weapon, a _shikoro_ , which made him snort and wrinkle his nose. That thing was used as a tool for opening doors, but also for his obvious intentions.

Sasuke caught the rest of the weapons from each of the other men: first was the _fukiya_ which carried poisonous darts; next was the bow and arrow amongst three of the bandits. And finally, the spear _yari_. He had a hunch these men stole these weapons, or they had to be weapons dealers that the unfortunate boy on the ground happened across by bad luck.

"I could say the same to you," Sasuke hissed, reaching up for his katana. "But who are you to call me a demon when you are all lower scum in the face of the earth? And as for my unfortunate victims, they had the worse form of baggage to carry that the world looked down upon them, as well." His eyes gleamed when he saw he'd gotten to them. This was going to be fun.

~o~

His fellow Akatsuki knew him for his legendary sweet tooth as did those once near and dear to him. He did not need to rely on Kakuzu to get him what he needed. Itachi was self-conscious about his appearances, from his hair to his skin and especially his love of sweetness, which his _otouto_ lacked on his part. Sasuke had his tomatoes; Itachi had _dango_ and its fellows.

It was a rare blessing that the Uchiha would slip away from his partner and indulge in a hot spring and his favorite snacks, just to have his privacy as he savored the tea and _dango_. Itachi hummed and threw his head back at the pleasant taste and feeling through his system; his hair had been tied into a bun behind his head. His skin delighted in the luxury. _Finally...away from the nagging Deidara, no religious obscenity from Hidan, no Kakuzu complaining about the loans - and certainly my first solo peace from my partner._

Though by the time he downed down the last of his tea, the sufficing remainders in his pack which rested with his garbs, Itachi's serenity ended. The moment he had to activate the Sharingan, his senses alerted him to local trouble not far away, at the base of the mountains. Frowning, Itachi stepped out of the spring, dripping and naked, and turned his attention south.

 _Sasuke...who else can it be? Causing trouble again, are you?_

Drying off, he redressed and pulled his hair from its bun, letting the ponytail fall into his cloak. He slipped away from the village undetected and made way for the destination deep in the forest - and he wasn't mistaken when he beheld his beastly little brother in action against seven men with mediocre weaponry that made the older Uchiha narrow his eyes with irritation. _This is too simple for Sasuke._

Sasuke had developed more muscle since the last time they saw each other. If he wasn't even human anymore, on the outside, then it was safe for Itachi to say his brother was a man now. He was sickened that Orochimaru had done this to Sasuke - _but Sasuke also brought it on himself, and it was also my doing_ \- and damned him for it. He watched as Sasuke brought his sword about, slashing at one of the men with the dagger _shikoro_ , knocking the weapon out of his grasp before taking it into his free hand and bringing it suavely to his belt of other weapons. His knee followed to strike the fool in the stomach and sent him flying into a tree, several kilometers in the distance.

"Hn, most impressive," Itachi mused softly, clasping his fingers together.

These fools were no match for the beast of the wild. Pride swelled within himself even though Sasuke could do better. Poisoned darts targeted his brother, aiming for his wings as they were one of the most vulnerable; Sasuke caught sight of this and dodged, throwing himself backwards and whirling like a tornado above. He had a surprise in store: the number of furious shuriken pinned the wielder of the _fukiya_ to the earth.

A shout of "DEMON!" caused him to ensnare the spear-user in a vice-like grip by the throat while he broke the man's wrist. He howled in pain and lost hold of his beloved _yari_ , but Sasuke apparently had no interest in it, which had to be a fatal flaw on his part. Itachi sighed sharply; he was tempted to step in, but this was Sasuke's mistake to make and fix on his own.

When Sasuke was crouched and snarling, fangs exposed and katana in hand, the remaining five were trained with their bows and arrows - and one with a blood-stained knife, which had been used on the young boy who was still bound on the earth. Now Itachi Uchiha had the opportunity to see what damage had been done to his innocent flesh. The bleeding face looked very much like Sasuke, when hardly anyone EVER saw his true face... _until today_. The sight made Itachi close his narrowed eyes all the way. Innocent flesh and blood maimed as a warning and an attempted offering to the famed Man-Beast.

Now wasn't that enough to push Sasuke's buttons the wrong way?

"CHIDORI!"

A flash of blue and an explosion rocked the area, causing smoke to rise to the skies. Opening his eyes and allowing the Sharingan to rest, Itachi smirked when everything was clear, and the bandits were all unconscious on the smoldering earth...except the one whom he guessed was the leader had the bloody blade piercing his chest now. That was not the half of it.

The same symbol the child had slashed into his back was in his hideous, exposed stomach, and the blade itself was as Itachi said it was: _through the heart._

And Sasuke had the whimpering boy in his arms, bridal style, and surveyed his handiwork with a shameless smirk, especially at the dead one while his followers remained unconscious. He decided the leader deserved his death for what he did to the child he rescued. A secret smile penetrated Itachi's face.

 _Now...that's my little brother being the man I always wanted him to be._

~o~

"T-thank you f-f-for saving me," the boy stammered nervously, daring to look up at him, making him angry and uncomfortable. How could he LOOK upon him and not flinch with fear and hatred? He was an unfortunate victim of an attempted sacrifice, but the man-beast himself was far from interested in him in that manner.

Sasuke felt his brows furrow when he found himself getting a better look now at the young one's face. Dark hair, dark eyes... _he looks so much like myself when I was that age..._

"Sir?"

He snapped out of it at the single, simple word which made him snap. Flapping his wings, he brought them both down to the ground near the group, in which the leader was dead by his own hands. He deserved his just desserts that he inflicted on an innocent life. He shook his head and scoffed; when was the last time he was so soft? He only saved this boy he now let on both feet because - "I saved your life on a whim," he said icily, causing the child to step back, "but what are you doing out here that got these guys' attention?"

The young one looked down, shifting on both feet. "I was...curious. I wanted to see what the...Man-Beast looked like. And then those guys..." He trailed off, looking back up into his black-and-red eyes. He wasn't afraid of Sasuke, which he never expected. He blinked at this knowledge.

 _He doesn't fear me. Either he is a brave one or he is a fool,_ he thought, bemused. And if he was a fool... "That was foolish of you to think you could come here without a regard for the unknown danger that awaits," Sasuke said firmly, putting his sword back behind himself, his wings coming to rest for now. "And now that you're standing before the very thing that your fellow villagers talk about. I'm the one that makes children and grown-ups tremble with fright at night...but half the things I've done that you must be ignorant of will only devour your innocence before you even reach the age where you understand better."

"But you don't scare me," the boy insisted, now sticking his lip out in a pout. "You stopped those monsters." He pointed to the bandits still cluttered together in a heap. Then he winced and reached behind his back, drawing attention back to the bleeding scars. That was something Sasuke had to take care of, but he couldn't risk exposure. If he wanted to treat this wound himself, he could - but he had limited medicinal herbs in his cave. _It will have to do, it seems._

So, he took the boy back to his hiding place, but made sure he didn't see the exact direction he was going. Sasuke had to put a blindfold he carried around his waist; he would have to move again soon if he had to, but not today or anytime soon.

"You're a strong fellow," he told the boy when he cleansed away the blood with fresh water and then ran the herbs over, before wrapping the cuts with white cloth. He seldom got injured himself anymore, but a Shinobi should always be prepared. "Now, I need to take you home. What is your name?" He wasn't a conversationalist, and it wasn't like he would see the boy again after today, but he intended to drop him off at the edge of the forest before he returned here.

Black eyes looked up at him again, a smile tugging a plump, round face. "Ryuu." Sasuke raised an eyebrow. _Dragon spirit - I wonder if he has the will inside him._ "What's _your_ name?"

He shut his eyes and turned his face away, unable to answer. No one was allowed to know his name but himself - _and Itachi._ He'd sensed from the beginning that his big brother's presence was here. "My name isn't important," he said bluntly. "It's not like anyone cares about a monster."

"But _I_ care!" Ryuu insisted, reaching for him, but he pulled back.

"You're too young to understand anything. For one, you have no idea what it's like to be alone," Sasuke hissed.

"I'm not alone! I have a big brother who takes care of me. We lost our parents not that long ago; we have each other now. I miss Mom and Dad, but my _aniki_ is the best."

Sasuke opened his eyes and glared down at the child. So, he was an orphan at the age he himself had been. _He has a brother...a brother who won't betray him like mine did. He's lucky while I wasn't. He'll still never understand true loss, even if I can TRUST him._

When was this boy going to shut up? He'd picked him up and took flight to the edge of the forest, insisting he go home immediately. Before he took off running, Ryuu looked back. "Didn't you ever have a family? A brother?" he pressed. Sasuke sighed, shoulders slumping. He was never going to let this down.

"Yes," he said softly, barely audible. "I have an older brother just like you."

 **Jesus, it was so intense to do, but Sasuke saving a child's life had to also be another factor to prove his still-human side - and that child reminds him so much of himself. :) And that image carved into the boy's back was in thanks to my boyfriend, who is a D and D member.**

 **The necklace Naruto gave Hinata was also based off the beautiful and rare K2. :)**


	6. What Gets Out Comes Around

Chapter Five

What Gets Out Comes Around

"Looks like we're here, guys," Captain Yamato announced when they all came to a halt. The village they came across was a day's journey from the Hidden Sound Village. Sakura gave it a smile at how peaceful it appeared - but was there a surprise waiting in store?

"Yeah, we stop for now," Kakashi agreed, running a hand through his hair. _Yeah, we've traveled for two, three days, and we're here. The forest..._

It was then and there that she took in the sight of the mountains and the forest at the base, which crawled like great vines over random places to make it look like a work of art. That, and the sun setting to mark their tired state, but as expected, Naruto wanted to keep going since they did arrive at the place. She rolled her eyes, clenching a fist, ready to box him when she wanted to.

"What, when we just arrived?!"

"Naruto." She brought her fist up to show him, to warn him. "We're not kids anymore, or are you ever going to grow? We'll _find_ him."

Sai stepped forward. "Sakura's right. But we rest for now, like Kakashi-Sensei said." He walked in between them and proceeded ahead after both Jonin and former ANBU member, but somehow, Sakura's feet remained planted when Naruto did the same, knowing what he was thinking, and the answer was obvious: _we do not go without them. We go together, and that's final._

But there was a tiny part of her that insisted she do this alone. She made that promise. And knowing Naruto, he would push her until he shoved her off the cliff when she would say yes to defying an order.

"We're going to find a place to rest," Yamato called to them, "so you guys get us what we need tonight."

 _And that means tomorrow we look in the mountains for Sasuke._ She just hoped they wouldn't be too late, and he'd already take flight. If he'd take off, where would they look for him next? Sakura wasn't waiting another year for another rape-murder again; it would be too much to bear. She tried to not think about it being full sexual assault; there was no deep look into the psychological aspects, but did any of the victims willingly give in to him...?

Her stomach threatened to churn yet again. That, and it rumbled with hunger. Naruto's did the same, the sound reaching her ears. "Uhhh...I see a fruit stand to start," he said awkwardly, pointing past her.

Behind the stand was a young boy of eight or nine. His family must run this business, Sakura mused as she smiled kindly at him and picked some apples. "Not very busy today?" Naruto was grabbing some random yellow items and grinning at the kid who winked at them - or was it at her, the pretty girl? She saw it in his eyes. But then she felt it slowly slip when she examined his features, at how he was so similar to... _him._

"Yeah, we were, but when the day ends, it gets a little less," the kid answered before naming the price. But when she gave him the money, he flinched. Suddenly, the med-nin inside her snapped that it might be something in his body.

"Are you okay?" Sakura asked. He nodded, but that wasn't enough. "Can I take a look? I'm in the Medical Corps."

He gave her a curious look. "You're not from around here?" he questioned.

"Yeah, Sakura is one of the best," Naruto commented, slapping her shoulder gently. "Can she have a look?"

Instinct said that she shouldn't force an examination if the boy didn't want it, and he was obviously on the job. But he nodded again and beckoned her to walk around the stand before turning his back to her and pulling his shirt up in the back - and what he revealed made her gasp softly. Naruto's jaw dropped. "Oh, man!" he uttered, slapping a hand over his mouth and trying not to gag.

There were horrendous gashes across the child's back, forming a demonic face with wild hair...and Naruto seemed to recognize it. "Oh, my, Sakura," he gasped. "It looks like..."

 _Sasuke,_ her mind finished, unable to speak. The longer she gazed at this creation, wondering who on earth could do something this despicable to a little child - someone cruel and unusual _had_ to do this - but it also begged if the person who did this saw the "Man-Beast of the Wild"... "Please, kid, tell me who did this to you," Sakura said softly, nodding for Naruto to come with her as the boy dragged her by the wrist and pulled her into the small building. He didn't want anyone else to overhear this, which she understood immensely.

"What's your name?" Sakura asked, sitting down in a chair pulled out for her, when the child turned his back to her. The wounds appeared to still be fresh, but slowly healing because of some good herbs. Someone must have treated them for him earlier, but that depended when he got this. _A day at most...?_

"Name is Ryuu," the boy answered, looking at her halfway. "I went into the forest earlier, but some bandits attacked me. One of them branded me with the face of the Man-Beast of the Wild, but no one knows what it really looks like." He dropped his shirt as if ashamed and turned around to look at her, eyes shining now despite his small fear. "They wanted to sacrifice me to the beast - but he didn't want me."

She bolted in her seat along with Naruto at the mention. _"He"...he actually SAW the "Man-Beast" - that means he has seen Sasuke!_ At this point, she and Naruto had an opportunity to get a lead. The blond was more eager. "Yeah, what did he look like, Ryuu?" he pressed, standing and kneeling before him. Ryuu gave him a pointed look but answered.

"Um...dark-skinned maybe, with these weird-looking wings, wild hair and a mark on his nose - and he was really scary, but for some reason, I wasn't afraid. He took down those guys with these super awesome moves," he said excitedly with a huge grin. "I think one of them that caused an explosion was called Chi-chi..." He struggled around the word, but Sakura and Naruto knew what it was from the top of their heads.

"Chidori?" they said in unison. _One of the ninja abilities for those with Fire and Lightning Style..._

"Yes! He saved my life, took me back to his cave and cleaned my wounds," Ryuu finished, then sighed when a sad look came over his face. "But he wasn't exactly...completely nice even though he helped me. And he wouldn't tell me his name, either. I just knew he wasn't the monster everyone was saying he was. He even told me he had an older brother like I do."

The hint of Itachi Uchiha caused her blood to boil; the fire was evident in Naruto's blue eyes, and he really did a good job to keep himself together. It was also the story itself which caused the long-lost hope to rise once again within them both.

 _Our Sasuke isn't a demon, after all. That tortured boy we knew once is still there, inside him._ Sakura placed a hand over her heart which began to flutter, threatening to weep through her eyes, and Naruto did the same as he pondered how to finally get to their long-lost teammate who left them in the name of revenge and power.

~o~

He frowned, observing the creature behind the glass, gripping the clipboard in both hands, anticipating heatedly that this damned well better succeed. The thing in his latest experiment had overstepped her boundaries; if she died like the last one, then he would classify yet another epic failure.

 _Now, that is a term I have not used for years,_ he thought in bemusement, licking his lips. The worst case scenario was death for this one; Sasuke was one lone fortunate individual to become trapped in the second state and survive, exhausted his powers when he faced off the Kyuubi, his own best friend. _Brings back a certain memory when Jiraiya tried to stop me..._

"Isn't it funny how interesting fate can make our lives intertwined with each generation?" Orochimaru asked Kabuto who was coming beside him to survey the snarling half-human beast-form before them. "Jiraiya and the Nine-Tails vessel, Tsunade and the sweet-haired little vixen -" He let his smile fade.

"- and finally me and Sasuke-kun."

"But he's gone now, Lord Orochimaru. He is free and slaughtering anyone he takes a year. He's nothing more than a wild animal now. If you don't mind me saying so, you should have killed him instead of setting him free..."

 _Fool, why kill someone useful to me?!_ But instead, the Snake Sannin narrowed his eyes and allowed the smile to return. He did not have to answer that to his right hand; Kabuto should know by now. But that wasn't the only reason he had to release the boy who should have been his. The minority of the details made him sneer. He recalled the pink-haired _kunoichi_ who reminded him so much of Tsunade, but in the Forest of Death, she was so emotionally unstable and fiercely protective of Sasuke. Her tears were enough to tell him the depth of her feelings for the boy...

 _Only a mere phase and nothing more. That's all it is when you are not even old and wise enough to experience a lifetime._

But it only brought him back to the time he allowed Tsunade to have him not long after losing her beloved Dan, before he let her go. After it was all over, a tiny part of his soul cracked when he FELT her pain during their coupling, her sweet and strong body - but he forced it all back together when he allowed her to leave the life of a Shinobi altogether, to escape the pain, but it never made anything better. Orochimaru could never understand how fragile emotion was; he shut it all off a long time ago when he lost his parents.

 _Emotions tear you apart._

Didn't that girl - Sakura, was it? - come to that conclusion by now? The last time he encountered her and her friends when they came for Sasuke, the snake was only happy to oblige that he wasn't the boy they remembered. He was a beast for Orochimaru to control and study under his thumb. To relish the raging determination in the Kyuubi boy's eyes and the struggling ache in the _kunoichi's_ eyes... _but so much like Tsunade. And the boy...he has no true conception of the depth of Sasuke's suffering. He is too much like Jiraiya..._

"Lord Orochimaru?" Kabuto asked softly. "Would a...mate for her be in question? She's apparently in heat, according to the samples I analyzed." He chuckled, thinking just the same thing. Yes, an animal could never be tamed unless another was given to satisfy the bestial hunger of the flesh... _humanity depends too solely on basic instincts..._

Blood splattered before his vision, bringing him back to the serious matter at hand. The subject had overexerted herself; her body structure and her chakra levels had gone to waste. Orochimaru hissed, baring his teeth. "So...another failure. What a shame."

If there was one strong subject to survive, it was Sasuke Uchiha.

~o~

Candlelight and the splendid feast that had been made by her hand - she harnessed her cooking skills much better thanks to Ino - but it was by no means romantic given the circumstances. Naruto looked like he wanted to gobble it all up but was too sickened even after a few bites of sushi; his face actually turned green. Sai had a blank stare on his face, gazing down at his dish without lifting a utensil. Yamato also ate a bit before giving up altogether, and Kakashi had his arms crossed over his chest, the emotions bottled up well but it was obvious enough.

Sakura found she was no longer hungry either. But that didn't erase it: _Sasuke has been living alone all this time, yet he saved a boy's life..._

"It still doesn't explain his...condition," Kakashi said when she and Naruto were finished with what Ryuu told them earlier. "Orochimaru...why he released him..."

"Yeah, that doesn't make sense!" Naruto agreed. "Why would the snake do this to him?!" _Stupid question. Of course, I want to know, too. But that snake is the least of our problems._

Yamato nodded his concurrence. "Sasuke Uchiha is still the one you guys knew," he stated, and it wasn't even a question, but doubt was present. "Except we can't be too sure if he will resort to aggression when we find him and approach him. We have to be on our guard, and ANBU is ready to strike if we get attacked. He'll be taken back to the Leaf Village, but if he tries to resist..." He trailed off then and there, the unspoken rest in the air, but Naruto broke it with an explosion.

"BUT WE CAN'T JUST KILL HIM!"

Kakashi silenced him. "We must if it's necessary."

 _As a Shinobi, to kill a former comrade who turned against you is the only choice to make. Do or die..._

She tuned it all out the rest of the evening, already knowing it all. When it was time to rest, she was alone with Naruto who was in as much turmoil as she was. He slipped outside with her just as the night blanketed the village and its surroundings - and the mountain which housed the secret that little Ryuu told them earlier before his big brother came in and asked him to get back outside. He hadn't exactly been...pleasant when he saw the duo, but he smiled when he learned they were Leaf Village Shinobi, and thanked Sakura for taking care of his brother after the "Man-Beast" did the job the best he could.

"You don't sound like you disbelieve your brother," Sakura had said, surprised, making him laugh and wave his hand. The boy had looked no older than her own age, and he had to have taken a great responsibility when his parents died, taking in his baby brother.

"Yeah, I didn't think I would. But my brother has never made up stories before. I keep reminding him to never go up there, but does he listen?" His jaw had tightened then. "I wanted to kill those bastards myself, but he begged me not to. Said the 'Man-Beast in the Forest' did the job." He'd rubbed the back of his neck and winced at a tight muscle in the back that she quickly looked at. " _Otouto_ said how lonely and bitter he was, that he didn't deserve anyone around him. But all those things I heard about this guy..." He shuddered and drew his arms around himself, exactly the same way Naruto had done when he saw the body of his long-lost relative and the others before her.

 _People are always afraid of what they never understand, see for themselves, only hear through others' mouths...but Ryuu wasn't scared of Sasuke._

"Just how are we going to do this?" Naruto asked as they sat on the porch of the inn, for only the night. The stars were twinkling, the moon in full view and casting a glow over the forest out of everything else. Just perfect...

Sakura chewed her bottom lip. Ryuu never told them the location of the cave Sasuke lived in. "I don't know," he'd said honestly. "He covered my eyes because he didn't want me to see and remember." Common sense spoke that he'd done it to protect himself, to make sure no one dared to hunt him down. The last thing Sasuke wanted was a lynch mob. It proved to be a challenge for her and Naruto. This was a great risk they were going to take, because it meant to leave their team here -

"We might get killed by him," she told Naruto, "but I may have an idea." And it was very dangerous, for it also involved splitting them both up and having to try and be stealth, since deep down she did NOT want ANBU involved in her plan.

~o~

Sasuke could never stop thinking about Ryuu when he let the boy go home. He loathed it, detested it, and cursed aloud when he was safe inside his hideout. He was relieved to be alone finally, after cleaning his mess up with burying the corpse of the ringleader of the gang, followed by tying the remainders up and leaving them all for the village authorities to handle.

Best case scenario: they would rave that they actually saw the "Man-Beast of the Wild" and be committed. _Not my concern anyway._

 _"You don't scare me."_

 _You're brave, after all,_ Sasuke thought as he feasted on a freshly grown apple. The sweet juice intoxicated him.

 _"You shouldn't be alone. Everyone needs someone."_

 _You do not understand loneliness; you have a brother who protects you when my own should have. You never knew what it was like to be betrayed, to cut off ties for something far more important to survive._

He was going to return the cooking tools he borrowed back to the village when the hour grew later; at this time, he would be stealth with his wings and without watchful eyes of any ninja, because just how many ninja would live in this place? He was the only one - well, former officially and legally - as far as he was concerned.

But as soon as Sasuke wrapped up his used belongings, he raised his head in the direction of the cave entrance. His nose wrinkled as he detected _chakra_ in the distant vicinity. Narrowing his eyes, he growled through his teeth.

"Who dares to trespass my territory at this time of night?" he seethed aloud, grabbing his weapons and strapping them on before taking flight, following the trail of one, given he recognized one form combined with two polar opposites - one menacing presence and the other pure at heart - but the second was something sweet awakening into something far more fierce.

The first... _Naruto._

And the second... _Sakura._

 _They are both here. They are alone in this forest - foolish to come alone. They know I am here._ His lips pulled back. _I won't pretend to know why they are here, and I shall settle this once and for all._

Sasuke decided to save the dobe for last - but WHY? - and found himself hiding in the trees when he discovered that his two former teammates had split up. He furrowed his brows; what were they playing at? Looking down, he saw the figure in the Shinobi cloak billowing in the slight wind. Her pastel-pink hair was cropped like last time when he left the village and she tried to stop him, proclaiming her undying love for him - what did she know about love when they were only kids? - before he had to resort to drastic means to stop her.

Was that why she was here? To tell him she loved him and attempt to bring him home on her own? Konoha was his home no longer; how could he convince her of that?

He found himself looking down at himself. Another dilemma: he did not want her to see him like this. But this was a standstill; he had to get her and the loser off his tail now.

"I know you're here somewhere, Sasuke."

 _So, she senses my chakra presence. How brilliant._

At this point, he stood from his crouching position and flew down to stand behind her, keeping his distance. When he did, he had a better view of her while her back faced him. The wind sifted through her hair and blew her scent in his direction - woods, fruits and flowers. For a moment, he was captured by the aroma of Sakura Haruno, but he shoved it aside as well as ignored the slight stir in his groin.

"How very perceptive of you, Sakura," he drawled back. At the sound of his voice, she turned around to see him in all his demonic glory.

 **I'm going to be getting an uploading of the new Microsoft Office after two years of hunting one down, and due to the new system I have, it may not be like the old one I used to have. So, if I don't update the story for a few days or however long, know I am trying to readjust and make this work. Rest assured, I'm trying to make you all happy and won't rest. :) Until then.**


	7. A Far From Happy Reunion

**So it turns out not today, which gave me an opportunity to give the new chapter after all. :D But that doesn't mean the chance to upload the new software won't come anytime soon. Don't you all just despise living in the unknown?**

 **But enough of that for now. Enjoy the present. :)**

Chapter Six

A Far From Happy Reunion

 _"Okay, so remind me again how this is gonna work? We SPLIT up instead of going together?"_

 _"Yes, you idiot! Think of this as the lady being the one to tame the beast."_

 _"Oh, sure, but you're not tender and gentle like those chicks in those stories, and Sasuke knows you too well for that. He won't be tamed by beauty_ that _easily -"_

Sakura suppressed a snort at the memory, even if it wasn't that long ago. Call her stupid, but she had a damned good reason for this. If they both went up against him, Sasuke would kill them. If she went alone, there was a chance that Naruto would sneak up on him. But then again, Sasuke would know he was being jumped, and the chances would be an eleven on a scale of one to ten.

But on second thought: _**ain't nothing but a ballsy plan, girl! If he has one weakness, then it's a woman!**_ She tried to grin at the small comfort...but it was short-lived. _But if he's so ravenous now, then that means I have to not let him -_

Here she was, standing alone, with Naruto somewhere in the trees. He was keeping a distance, but if the idiot so much as thought to blow their plan once Sasuke arrived...

 _ **Speak of the devil - you sense it.**_

 _Yeah, he's here. That chakra..._ She shivered, pulling her cloak together, the wind picking up. _...so cold, so calculating and controlled...so DARK...so isolated._

He was hiding. He was watching her and trying to dictate her every move before he made his. He was behind her; she had no intention of looking at him just yet. "I know you're here somewhere, Sasuke," she called up to him, trembling now with anticipation. The moment had finally arrived after ten long, painful years. He wasn't happy that he was seeing her, but she couldn't help but wonder if he could see how much she _changed_.

There was a rush, a rustle that wasn't a part of the wind...and then HIS voice. It was the same as she remembered, with a deeper and rougher edge. "How very perceptive of you, Sakura." His gaze burned into her back, daring her to turn around and look him in the eyes - but she wasn't going to bet on that anytime soon. She needed the courage to look at his body and physical being before making direct eye contact, to attempt and see the humanity she prayed to Kami was still there...

When she took in the sight of the exposed feet, at the skin which wasn't even humanly pale - that wasn't even HIS. The moonlight danced off the murky flesh, giving it a pearly gray phosphorescence. Traveling north, the legs were well-toned, disappearing beneath a worn wrap around his waist, tied with a purple rope that only Orochimaru could don. Swallowing, her cheeks burned when she took in a lithe, muscular body and arms. _He's packed more muscle than I remember._ The abs and pectorals were washboard, honed through the decade. She tried to not let her mind go crazy like that, and his voice didn't help, either. And neither did the sight of those wings spread out, a horrific work of art consisting of multiple claws like his hands were; the latter clenched as his words through his teeth.

"I believe my face is what you are looking for, Sakura."

Her jaw dropped and let the gasp tear through when she forced her eyes to look at that part of himself. The moonlight had temporarily been blocked before the clouds parted, the wind picked up, and exposed the face framed by a long, wild mane of blue-gray hair that hadn't been tamed by man-made products but otherwise cleansed by spring water.

 _ **I'LL BE DAMNED, GIRL! IS THAT OUR SASUKE!**_

She had to agree with her inner raging goddess. _The mark carved onto Ryuu...Naruto's description...none of those things do what's in front of me justice._ The only indication of her reaction to him was one step back, and he seemed to take that the wrong way. His lips were pulled back, exposing two little fangs resembling a vampire's on either side of his mouth, while the rest were completely normal with a slight yellow tone. The lips themselves matched the color of his unkempt hair, though defining fullness that made her want to go up and - _NO, I CAN'T THINK ABOUT KISSING HIM AT A TIME LIKE THIS! THIS ISN'T A HAPPILY EVER AFTER REUNION!_

"Sasuke," she said softly, gripping the fabric of her cloak. He narrowed his eyes - the outside should have been white, but now black to take away any human characteristics, centered with the blazing red of his family's Sharingan. Finally, between his eyes and on his nose was a black marking forming the shape of a cross. "I -"

He cut her off with a brief and dry laugh devoid of humor. "I'm just the sight, aren't I?" he asked, loosening his fists at his sides. "But I don't see the fear that those fools showed me - only that does not excuse the fact you and Naruto have the daring nerve to come alone. You really want to die, don't you?" He hissed, more animal than man now. But he never scared her.

Sakura swallowed. "Naruto isn't here with me right now. I decided to come alone."

"Why?"

"Don't you have an idea?" she returned. It was a risky card to play. If she pushed the wrong button, his temper would flash. His features hardened before softening to an unreadable scowl.

"I have no time to play games, Sakura!" he snapped, his wings flapping once with his shortness as she expected. "You are here in my territory, and I won't hesitate to kill anyone who comes here -"

She'd just about had enough of this. _That's it; no more Miss Nice Girl._ "You're talking like Orochimaru," she said, and that shut him up. "You don't care about killing anyone who crosses you." It was a lie; he killed the leader of the gang who assaulted innocent little Ryuu, but the others...they all had backgrounds checked out in which the majority were living on the streets with no hope for the future, and Karin Uzumaki had been thoroughly checked in which she'd once worked under Orochimaru. Tsunade debriefed her and the team on this before they all left. Maybe it did make sense that none of them were truly missed, but...

 _Uh oh, I think I went too far._ He was advancing on her now, his bestial features tightening to the point where he was reducing her to a quivering mass of flesh and bones.

"What did you just...say...?" He drew out each word slowly like tearing off strip by strip from a precious blanket. "Look at me and say that again, Sakura."

Sakura did exactly what he said, and because she wanted to, not because of him. "I may not understand your pain, Sasuke, and neither will Naruto or anyone else in the Leaf Village...but all of this turns my stomach," she spat, keeping her teeth together to not carry the action out. She wasn't afraid of him striking her face, but a tiny part of the girl he remembered who shed her heart and tears for him. She would gladly have traded anything for him, but abandoning her was how he repaid her. _And Naruto. Kakashi-Sensei...everyone..._

Sasuke's face was twisting again. He was getting angrier and angrier with each word she said. "It takes more than my appetites to turn your stomach," he said.

"Then explain to me - how did you end up like this? Orochimaru, he's why. I don't need to ask you that, because he did this to you. And so did..." _Don't say his brother's name; it's taboo to say the name of the one who took everything in your life away._ "Those people you killed...they were because of him. He let you suffer like this; he either didn't care to change you back, or he didn't find a way..."

~o~

 _"Well, what are the results?" he growled as he thrashed in his chair. He was naked, limbs strapped down, and his legs spread to reveal what was supposed to be private to only HIM. But_ no, _the snake said it was a standard physical examination before they could begin any training of any kind. And besides, he did ask for this._

I don't want to spend the rest of my life looking like THIS, _he thought, feeling his nails dig into his palms enough to draw a tiny amount of blood to the surface. Out of habit and just to avoid looking up at the bastard who licked his lips at the sight of his state, then looked down at the written results which the "subject" himself could not see, much to his infuriation. Glaring down at his nicely toned form didn't, either, and his crotch was just as he imagined: the small crop of hair at the top of his developing member had indeed turned a darker shade of the hair on his head. He hoped the embarrassing blush on his face wouldn't show on his transformed skin._

 _"Hmmm...you're physically healthy, dear Sasuke," Orochimaru said with another lick of the lips after saying his name, "and I am terribly sorry to report that the overexertion of your chakra has left you trapped in the second state of the Curse Mark."_

 _He roared; that was not the answer he wanted! "DAMN YOU! What now - you won't change me back?!"_

 _A pale spidery hand came to rest itself on his shoulder, an unpleasant tingling coursing through. "Do calm yourself. I assure you, this isn't the first time. But nevertheless, you need not fear about dying. You're the strongest I have had thus far...and let's see how we can harness you in this form so you can defeat Itachi beyond your wildest dreams..."_

~o~

She was getting to him, and he did not appreciate it. The memory of Orochimaru having him vulnerable and tied down, every inch of himself exposed to the Serpent Sage's eyes for his perverted examinations...he shoved it to the back of his head until now when _she_ stood before him. She dared him to try and tell her what the old man did to him...

For a moment, he was distracted by her appearance and her...attitude. That attitude which she reserved only for Naruto and others they faced. She surprised him when she stuck her chin into his face. "Those people you killed," she said, "they were because of him. He let you suffer like this; he either didn't care to change you back, or he didn't find a way..."

 _You have no idea, Sakura. You know it...but I still don't have the answer._ He would not give her the satisfaction; he had to hold onto his pride because it was all he had left. Sasuke had been burdened with enough in his life; this burden was another addition, the fuel to his isolation, and Itachi was still out there, waiting for him to come and strike him.

 _You're still too weak, little brother. You will NEVER have enough hate. You're not even a sight to behold anymore. You will ever be accepted with open arms..._

He wasn't sure when he'd squeezed his eyes shut until he felt strong but soft hands cup both sides of his face. Startled at the sensation and the person who did it, he opened his red-and-black eyes again to look into glowing emeralds filled with anguish and concern, anger and frustration matching his forgotten. "Sasuke," she whispered, "what happened to you...?"

He was at a loss for words. _What happened to_ me... _?_ That was all she could ask him. She'd said enough; she kept her distance long enough, and now that she'd witnessed his internal cracking through his eyes and his contorting features, she thought she could attempt to calm him down like this...taking his face into her hands and leaning up almost as if to -

Sasuke jerked his head back then with the realization of how CLOSE his face was to hers, now _NEAR_ their lips were, barely even a hair of contact. She did not enjoy seeing him like this; she dared to stand in front of him, put her foot down and talk back to him, but now she was _touching_ his face and trying to coax him with a _kiss_?! HOW DARE SHE?!

His temper exploded on a whim.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!"

He halfway turned away from her, his body spasming in every muscle he owned. Shame coursed through his veins as his hands shot up and covered his face, but it didn't prevent her voice from reaching his ears. "Sasuke -"

"No, just go away!" he barked. "Leave and take Naruto -" The blond's words haunted his dreams day and night, so now he would throw them back at her. "- even if you have to break every bone in his body!" She dared to put her hand on his shoulder, thought more physical touch would try a second time. _Just how stupid is she? She's just as stupid as Naruto is!_ He turned and roared back into her face, causing her to leap backwards by twelve feet away from him, crouching as if assuming battle stance.

 _"Go before I KILL YOU BOTH!"_ Sasuke thundered, flapping his wings to emphasize his point. His Sharingan blazed as he savagely bared his teeth.

He felt his eyes grow to the size of tomatoes when her response took him aback.

"Sasuke..." The Sakura he remembered had suddenly shifted demeanors altogether and transformed into a creature of vengeance, undoing the clasp of her cloak and tossing it behind her before rising and drawing her kunai. "...if killing you is what it takes on my part, then I'll do just that."

~o~

 _He won't lay a hand on me - but if I don't act, then he will kill me for sure._

Sakura could not remember feeling this discouraged in a long time. What had she been thinking that she could get through to him? She was so close; Orochimaru she damned for this, and Itachi on the same level. She cursed them both for turning him into what he was now. He was a half human, half creature hybrid hell-bent on killing his brother but was stunted because of his current physical form, condemned to an exiled existence, resorting to hunting...but she wanted to know why those people he had sex with and then slaughtered.

But now it seemed that question might never be answered because of how the tables had turned.

 _And I was hoping I'd never have to do this. I knew I would, but prayed never. Forgive me, Sasuke...forgive me, Naruto._

"Ninja Art: _Shuriken!_ " she screamed, replacing her kunai with said weapon, forming multiple forms to throw at him. Of course, he also anticipated the attack and decided to return the favor by pulling his own to counterattack her. Sharp hisses of clashing metal blades emitted a storm of destruction in her eardrums, causing them to pump murderously with her own blood in her veins as she locked eyes with the man before her - he wasn't the _boy_ she thought she loved as a child. _That was all it was, a childhood crush. Hormonal, competition with other girls...look at him now. We're fighting against each other..._

 _...but why do I feel such a perversion out of this? A perverted_ pleasure _fighting a beastly man who is still Sasuke Uchiha?_

If she thought to pay more attention to the raging emotions in his demonic eyes, she would lose control and let him kill her without hesitation.

She shrieked when she felt one of them slide past her, cutting her shoulder a little but tearing the fabric of her shirt to the side, exposing some skin and enough of her undergarment. Quickly, Sakura recovered and drew forth a kunai to throw at him, which he ceased his shuriken storm and went straight for the sword behind his back. She gasped; it was a katana, dangerously long and ready to kill her on the spot. He wanted to get this over and done with - but she had a good idea on how to push him farther and lower his defense.

"Tell me something, Sasuke," she taunted, "why didn't you kill Naruto when you had the chance?"

Now that did stop him. His fingers had closed around the hilt, but he didn't draw it out completely. His expression was priceless, before it twisted again. "Sakura, how _dare_ you?!" he raged, making her roll her eyes.

"Answer the question -" She never thought she'd say the word, because if Naruto had been right about one thing, this nickname was perfect. "- you _bastard!_ " she spat, closing her fingers around the blade's handle. _Well...that worked._

 _ **Yeah, Billboard Brow, now you REALLY made him mad!**_

The fire blazed in the red irises of his oculars. His body quivered visibly, but his tone remained composed unlike before, changing like a whiplash. "Hn," he said softly, like winter's wind, "if you must know then...I spared his life on a whim. Just to see if Konoha's number one hyper, knuckleheaded ninja could get stronger before I kill him."

If Naruto could hear that now, she half-expected him to burst from his hiding place - _where the hell IS that no-nothing_ baka?! "And what about ME - the girl who loved you...but sees it was all just a childish _crush_? Doesn't that make you happier to know my feelings for you now?" _If that's enough to strike his sensitive spot..._

"No. Sakura, I'll say it again as I did the night I left: you're _annoying._ " He ground out the word without shame, pulling his sword out halfway now so the blade gleamed vividly and blindingly in the light of the moon.

Sakura snarled, putting her knife back and deciding that blades weren't enough. "Well, then, my former comrade and _love,"_ she said sarcastically, "if I'm annoying, you're nothing but a pathetic, shit-eating BASTARD!"

Her inner goddess cheered her on: _**YOU GO, GIRL! THROW THE OWNAGE LINE ON HIS ASS!**_

With that, she threw down a fist to the earth and caused an impact which surged in his direction - but he was in the air, his wings carrying him swiftly. "Oh, damn!" Sakura swore under her breath, turning to jump back...but she failed to catch the gleam of silver in time from above, and before she knew it, her entire left side erupted with pain, piercing her through and bringing her to the ground. She lay on her back, trying to get up on her other, uninjured side before agony ripped through her again, causing her to howl. _Oh, gods, no, Lady Tsunade said a Medical Ninja should NEVER be wounded in battle. I'm needed everywhere I go, and Naruto and the others..._

Sasuke's sword had struck her. He'd missed a vital spot, but it was enough to take her down and render her vulnerable for whatever happened next. She saw him land before her, looking down at her without a blink or even a hint of remorse. She bared her teeth at him and hissed, but he only gave her his infamous Uchiha signature "hn".

"You'll have to forgive me, Sakura." He raised his hand - the one with the Chidori - and was about to bring it down when her will urged her to do what was risky enough but was the only solution. Screaming through her teeth, Sakura reached and took the mighty blade handle, using all her strength to do what he never saw coming.

She broke the blade in half, with the metal piece still lodged into her tender side, above her hip and pelvis, before throwing out the hilted half towards him, striking the handle to where he hurt most: in the groin.

Sasuke was sent flying backwards, yelling in stunned surprise and losing hold of his lightning ability meant for her, in time for another voice to FINALLY fill the air.

"STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM HER - RASENGAN!"

"NARUTO, NO!" she yelled out to him, but her vision was becoming a blur. She was slowly losing consciousness, thinking she might die here, cursing herself for her stupidity and failure. _Maybe Naruto can finish what I never could do after all...what an idiot I was all along. And I thought I could do this._

~o~

Snarling, Sasuke glared at the face of the man he once called a friend. He wouldn't dare say Naruto had changed; in fact, the dobe still had that hopeful naiveté in him despite years of experience. It made the Uchiha snarl through his teeth. "Loser...you had to interfere, didn't you?" he spat as he held Naruto's wrist in one hand, almost elevating him off the ground.

"I couldn't let you kill our friend, _teme!_ " Naruto returned, looking him over. "Maybe I'm going too far, but I don't know how she can see past what you've become, Sasuke!"

"Don't push me," Sasuke warned, tightening his hold on his rival's hand, causing him to exclaim. He rolled his eyes. _I didn't even break a bone...yet._

Naruto squirmed a little before forming a fist and aiming for his chest, but did he honestly think that would work? The man-beast caught that in a split second. "You're pathetically weak compared to me," Sasuke taunted. "If I can beat that one behind you, then I'll do the same here."

"You're still the same jerk from the Valley of Death. You should have killed me - but you were too tired to do it, right? Or was it something else...?" Naruto's blue eyes glimmered mischievously that it set his fires raging again. Growling, Sasuke threw him to the ground and towered over him. He bent down to pick up his half-broken sword; no matter, the blade was still sharp.

"I regret not killing you that day," he said, taking its hilt into both hands, "but today I correct that mistake and finish what I started..." However, he never got to raise it when they both heard the sound of Sakura's pained moaning. He jerked his head in her direction, seeing the broken half of his katana still in her side. She was losing blood as she'd lost consciousness. Naruto shrieked and leaped up, jumping over to her side.

"Sasuke, you bastard!" he raged. "Just like you broke her heart, you are _KILLING HER! Have you no shame or remorse in that black heart of yours?! YOU ARE NO BETTER THAN THAT SNAKE OR EVEN YOUR BROTHER!_ What they reported across the nation about you proves that! And not to mention, the latest girl happened to be a cousin I never knew I had!" His teeth pulled back into a snarl, making him resemble the Nine-Tailed demon sealed inside of him.

Something inside him snapped and caused him to look up at the moon shining down on them.

 _You are no better than your brother or Orochimaru..._

He gritted his teeth together and squeezed his eyes shut, turning his face away from the mocking orb of silvery white as the words continued to tear at him...and he could do nothing to shut it out. He couldn't let Naruto get to him, cursed him, DAMNED him to hell - but then he opened his eyes again and looked at the sight of Naruto glaring murder, and he meant _pure_ murder, as he held a seemingly dying Sakura in his arms.

"Well, what's it gonna be, huh? You going to let her die because of your selfish reasons? You going to become a true cold-blooded murderer like ITACHI?!" Sasuke snarled at the mention of his brother. How DARE Naruto compare him to Itachi! "Or like Orochimaru who killed the Third Hokage, attacked our home - and made you like THIS?!" He nodded at his form up and down with his own head. "WHAT'S IT GONNA BE?!"

The decision was automatically made when Sasuke dropped his weapon, bending down to take the lodged, naked blade into both hands, cutting his palms in the process, and swiftly pulled it out of her side. Blood poured out, but he grasped the one article of clothing he had for the moment, uncaring any longer for anything but her, and exposed himself before Naruto's eyes as he wrapped the fabric around Sakura's waist before securing it with his sash. He then stood and picked her up into both arms, carrying her like she was his bride and turned to take off into flight for his cave - but not before he turned to cast a warning glare at the dumbfounded, flushing Naruto.

"If you dare breathe a word about this to Kakashi, then I'll hunt you down. She's mine for the rest of the night and maybe tomorrow."

"But what do I tell them?"

"Maybe that limited brain of yours can come up with something, not that it's my problem." Sasuke sniffed before turning his full bared back and spread his wings once more, carrying the unconscious, bleeding flower in both arms like an arch-angel retrieving a mortal to the heavens.

 _Don't you DARE die on me, Sakura._

 **As always, reviews appreciated. :D Not to brag, but I really spilled blood, sweat and tears into this. XD Hope it was worth it.**


	8. The Long Night Ahead

**Prepare for an intensely long night ahead of these two.**

Chapter Seven

The Long Night Ahead

He was just enjoying a peaceful night only for it to be interrupted by _these_ _two_. He thought he made everything loud and clear, but it's like Naruto to be stubborn as ever - and Sakura?

 _She has changed._

And by change, he meant mentally, emotionally and spiritually that he ought to have expected after an agonizing decade. _Which should have given them both time to come to their senses about me._ He found himself looking at her unconscious face, peacefully relaxed as she leaned into his bare shoulder as he carried her over the forest until they reached the rocky mountain peaks, arriving at the destination. Landing without difficulty, his wings rested and let him walk the rest of the way. The tender lap of wind at his groin reminded him of his nude state, not that he minded. It was not like anyone would ever see him like this; even if they did, it pleased him to see the intimidation in their eyes.

 _Well, the time with Orochimaru, Kabuto and Karin won't be for nothing. Like I remind myself, I wasn't always chained down like an animal._

Sasuke inhaled the fresh air through his nose - but then came the mixture of salty blood and the woman's natural perfume. The smell made him want to retch, but underlining it was a certain sweetness. He looked back down at her face, at the wild strands of petal-colored hair going into her face as well as tickling his naked flesh. Sasuke shook his head to break himself out of his reverie as he took in her peace, reminding himself that she wasn't the candidate for mating season which was past for another year.

 _Even if I wanted to...I don't even want to kill her the way I did Karin and the others._

By this time, he arrived at his hideout, where the fire was going to die soon. It was a good thing he'd gotten more wood earlier before his unexpected visitors showed up. Striding over, Sasuke laid down Sakura on the ground where he would sleep, before a small collection of rocks serving as the head of the makeshift bed while there were woolen blankets to lay atop and to cover her up with, but not before he removed his blood-stained cloth from her side to see that the bleeding had stopped. But that did not mean it wasn't in danger of infection, or that anything internal could not be looked at.

Sasuke held up the ruined garment, deciding he would wash it in the early morning. If she would complain about seeing him butt naked, she would have to deal with it. He refused to think about any ideas she would be getting. His mind then clicked; didn't she say she knew it was all just a meaningless crush when they were only children?

He half-smiled to himself. _Well, at least she got THAT through to her head._ He moved to add some more logs to the pit before stoking the fire to a higher temperature. In the meantime, coughing was heard, telling him she was coming out of her temporary unconsciousness. He turned his head halfway to regard her.

"I wouldn't try to move if I were you," he warned her, before smirking to the corner she was allowed to see. "But you're a Medical Ninja; you should know that."

~o~

"Damn it!" Naruto swore to himself as he returned to the inn. After a quick check, he was beyond relieved that the others were still passed out. For now, saved by the bells, but Sakura...

To SEE Sasuke again - he'd really gotten on the down low with all that muscle added to his monstrous appearance, and the fact he really struck Sakura like that...!

 _My God, I'll be damned...Sasuke really HAS gotten stronger. What happened, did he train himself after that perverted snake let him go or something?_ He plopped himself down on his sleeping mat and stared up at the ceiling, closing his eyes only when he became aware of the moon glowing down on him. It was then that the fox's ominous voice filled his senses.

 _ **Orochimaru enhanced his abilities, but you cannot be assured that it was only training him the way you were taught by Jiraiya, or Sakura under Tsunade...the Snake Sannin is far more dangerous and sadistic, remember, Naruto?**_

He snorted. _Yeah, yeah, I get that - but what do you know of what that bastard did to him, anyway?_

 _ **Think carefully about it: the transformation of the Curse Mark - he never was able to revert back to his human form after he left you beaten at the End Valley. Very rarely did Orochimaru's subjects ever survive that ordeal; often did they die that way. And his savage appetites for the flesh, the need to satisfy his own urges...he was never able to fight it if he wanted to. Did you consider that perhaps the Serpent Sannin took great relish to let Sasuke suffer like that, condemned him despite his lust to have the Uchiha's body as his next vessel?**_

Naruto took his time to think this over. To this day, he would NEVER forgive Orochimaru for everything - just how could anyone like him deserve forgiveness? He admitted he didn't know everything other than what Pervy Sage told him, and as much as he hated to compare, Orochimaru and Sasuke did share similarities. But that did not mean his best friend and rival should sink so low to - _So, what are you saying, fox? What does the Curse Mark have to do with a relative I never knew about along with so many others? What Sasuke DID to them?_

The demon gave an agitated growl. _**Use your head, idiot! An animal has the urge to mate, to satisfy natural need; even I know that myself. Consider it an unexpected side effect in your friend's case.**_

 _Oh, God._ Naruto resisted the urge to turn and throw up. So it _wasn't_ Sasuke's fault he had beastly appetites; he knew it all along! _And does Sakura...?_

 _Oh, no! He has her! Kami, if he does that to her, then I have no choice but to carry out my promise!_

 _ **Break every bone in his body? I'd like to see you try, Naruto,**_ the fox rumbled. _**If the**_ **kunoichi** _ **couldn't tackle him, then I doubt you will.**_

Then that left one certain option: _shadow clones to track her whereabouts for me. I won't let her blood stain my hands because I let Sasuke take her away._

~o~

"I wouldn't try to move if I were you - but you're a Medical Ninja; you should know that."

She growled at him through her teeth; how could he be so smug?! A long time ago, she thought his smug attitude was sexy and cool, but now it only succeeded in getting on her nerves and riled her up. He was talking her down like he used to, he'd just tried to kill her - and _really_ kill her - but now he had brought her back alive, but he was just stoking the fire in assumption that she could treat her own wounds! _What a bastard! Naruto, for once, I'm agreeing with you on that._

Sakura noticed the blade in her side was gone, but so was the wrap. She also made the mistake of looking at him, quickly adverting her eyes when she saw he was _naked._ And she meant _butt_ naked - the former word literally for that one part of him which faced her almost the entire way. His wings were gone; did he retract them into his body somehow? _**Oh, no, you're not gonna let his nakedness distract you! Look what he did to you!**_

Sakura pulled her shirt up to expose her injured side. The wound was no longer bleeding, but the blood had dried. She flinched at the remaining pain. She quickly formed the hand sign and the green-blue light of her healing jutsu on herself. There were no vital organs pierced, thank the gods. Sasuke watched the show from the corner of his eye while still tending to the fire, increasing the temperature.

"You can take your bloodied clothes off if you want."

She gawked at him by the time she was done healing herself. She might as well rest during the night - but that also meant spending it with _him._ And where was Naruto?! **Baka** _ **Brow, he's the least of your worries!**_ Oh, her other half was right; Sasuke was the bigger problem. Why did he even bother to bring her instead of killing her? Did he kill Naruto? She had so many questions that he'd better answer, or else -

"E-excuse me?" Sakura sputtered, shrinking backwards until her back touched rock, making him snort.

"Don't worry. I'm not going to ravage you. I intend to clean our garments when dawn breaks." He rose upwards to stand and walk over to the other side of the fire, then bent over to pick something up. "Here, I want you to drink this. I concocted it myself with some fresh herbs plucked from the ground."

She glared up at him as she took the wooden bowl from him, avoiding looking down at his body altogether, keeping her gaze trained on his face. His smirk faded now, replaced with a calculating glint. "Since when did you learn medicine, hm?" She took a small sip, wincing a little at the bitter taste. Yup, he did a damned good job at it. "How much should I take?" She wasn't stupid, but she didn't know this kind that he did.

"Hn, only two sips. We wouldn't want to overdose, do we, Sakura?" he purred. He was enjoying this, wasn't he? He took perverted pleasure in seeing her like this. She took one more sip before handing it back to him. "Now," he said with a clear of the throat, "about that." He nodded at her blood-stained side. She snorted and stood up, not ashamed in the slightest. One half of her brain warned her about his animalistic urges, but the other half assured her the old Sasuke still thought enough to respect her space because of their past.

 _Maybe there is hope yet. But no hopes on my part are going too high._

Sakura stood up then, discarding her shirt and skirt as well as her weapons, laying them on the rocks behind her. Sasuke had turned his gaze to the side, closing his eyes; it seemed he had a sense of respect after all. Once Sakura was down to her undergarments, which had swirling rosy lace and a subtle plunge down the front, despite the fact her curves weren't exactly seductive. She felt a little embarrassed to notice that she still had her boots on, but if Naruto and the others...

"Where is Naruto?" she demanded, sitting down and ignoring her boots altogether. His attention reverted back to her. He shifted his position, sitting back on his thighs and drawing his knees up, covering his manhood altogether much to her relief. But that didn't seem to stop the attention going to admire the sculpture of those thighs and the rest of his legs.

"He's alive," Sasuke answered, hooking her in the eyes, telling the truth altogether. "I insisted he go back to the rest of Team Seven. If he's smart enough to convince Kakashi that they can't come for you tonight. After tonight, I'll be on the move soon, I promise you that."

Now that brought her back to her original responsibilities. When dawn broke, Kakashi, Sai and Captain Yamato would know what happened - unless Naruto had something damned good, which she doubted would work, since sooner or later they would see through and hunt them down. They would find Sasuke, and ANBU had to have caught on but were waiting to strike at the right time...

 _But wait. If ANBU knew, why haven't they done something by now?_

"Do you want something to eat, Sakura?" he asked, moving again so he was on his knees. Damn it, now _that thing_ was exposed; she tried not to look at that now and kept her eyes locked with his. Suddenly, her stomach growled despite best judgment that eating after healing might not be a good idea, and it was so late, after all. He hummed again. "I'll take that as a yes. What would you like?" Sasuke rose again and vanished only to bring back a couple apples, one for each of them. She raised both eyebrows.

"Did you steal those?" she demanded, making him roll his eyes.

"No, I plucked them from some wild trees in the country. Though on occasion, I do what I must to survive when other options fail."

"Huh!" Sakura huffed and took a bite, moaning at how sweet it was. "Does that mean you get to entertain me with the story of your life in the wild, Sasuke-kun?" The endearing name she purposefully used to irritate him, and it worked, for he narrowed his eyes, the clear fruit juice dripping off his chin. It looked so much like what the female produced between her legs during the act. _**You damn bitch, that's a hell of a time to think like that!**_

"Perhaps...but even if I did, you still would never understand," he said hotly, back to that temper she remembered. She rolled her shoulders back one and returned the lift of the chin.

"You tried to kill me, tried to kill Naruto, raped and killed others because of this -" She nodded at his entire body from head to toe. "- so, yeah, you owe me whether you like it or not. Drop your damn pride because you owe me when you brought me here to heal myself."

Sasuke was still playing with her. "And if I don't tell you?"

She sighed, shoulders slumping. "We're under orders from Lady Tsunade, and ANBU is on your tail besides myself and the others. Even though I have to follow orders...I don't want you killed by ANBU when I couldn't."

~o~

He hardly felt anything anymore when he began to relate to her the entire story from start to finish. His emotions had shut off a long time ago, and with her sitting in front of him in her undergarments and her boots before him, he'd suddenly grown anxious that his pheromones would respond to the sight - but nothing happened, much to his relief.

One sure, rational thought DID cross his mind: _she has changed. The simpering pink-haired blob I remember is really a woman._ And not just the body sight either, but her fire radiating off every inch of her. Not her body to rouse him, but her temper which stood to match him. He found he liked it better than her old attempts to please and impress him.

 _Damn it...why aren't I responding against my will with her?_

"We're under orders from Lady Tsunade, and ANBU is on your tail besides myself and the others. Even though I have to follow orders...I don't want you killed by ANBU when I couldn't."

She was telling him that she really tried to do the right way of a Shinobi and slay him herself, because of his deeds, and he counted on it. She may have failed, but he was impressed with how much stronger she'd gotten. _But I still bested her like I bested Naruto._

Sasuke closed his eyes briefly, the hidden truth coming to light. She couldn't kill him because she still _loved_ him. It angered him, but if it was anything like when they were children, she would have relented and let him have his way. But no, she stood her ground and argued against him for a change. She struck at him with everything she had - and he shamefully admitted to himself that she threw a blow to the place he was proud of. He ached down there but ignored it when he stood again and came face to face once more with Naruto while she lay wounded on the very earth she smashed to get to him.

 _She's willing to do anything..._

"You've decided to put your career on the line just for me," Sasuke stated. "You haven't changed a bit in that respect. I still stand on saying you're annoying - but out of respect and not offense." Her eyes lit up if her face remained impassive, waiting for him to speak. He sighed then.

"Frankly, Sakura, there really isn't much to explain. I'm sorry to disappoint you, but when I left Naruto and arrived at Orochimaru's hideout in the Hidden Sound Village, I had the impression he would reverse the permanent effects of this Curse Mark - but no such luck. I had no idea what a fool I was, but I chose to stay because I had a goal to fulfill. He promised me, but after examination upon examination, I lost my temper and was confided to be chained down like the animal I look like now." He turned to look at the flickering fire before them.

"It wasn't always imprisonment, however. He did train me, taught me to harness the Chidori and Fire Style - and some forbidden techniques reserved only for special dire situations. I hadn't had use of them upon being released, but that did not mean I forgot about them. I despised the man, but Orochimaru gave me enough of everything I needed. I equally hated his methods and how frail he was from the very beginning. Even to this day, he remains a everlasting run-of-the-mill, sickly shell leaping from body to body. I never intended to let myself be a candidate...so the only blessing I have from surviving and being trapped in this form was being spared."

"That doesn't explain those..." she started, having respected him and not interrupted him, but he knew what she was going to say.

"The victims," Sasuke said brusquely. "They were not the only ones. Why I did it was a...side effect of the Curse Mark - at least, according to Lord Orochimaru and Kabuto." He spat to the fire, causing a brief intense flash. "In heat, he said. There was nothing medicinal to cure me, claiming it was only natural, and therefore gave me a mate after another from his fragile, useless prisoners who couldn't match to becoming his next body. None of them pleased me, only enough to bring me to the edge. Hunger forced me to kill them in the end. It seemed only logical, but the truth is, they were never the ones I wanted to kill." _Itachi..._

Sakura's jaw had been slack before she pulled it closed. She couldn't think of what to say. He did not expect her to.

"Orochimaru stalled me, speaking of this and that, but as time went on for almost three years, I was finally told there was no reversal to the second stage, and because of it, I was no longer needed. He let me go just like that. I might have not become the next body he desired, but he believed I was too 'useful' to kill just like that." He laughed ruefully. "Wasn't I one of the lucky ones, Sakura?" He stood up then, distracting himself momentarily by noticing their bloody garments were still laying on the rocks behind her.

She tilted her head to look up at him curiously. "That means you never...killed your brother," she said softly. He closed his eyes, lowering the bundle of clothing to the level of his crotch, inhaling and exhaling sharply through his nose.

"No. But when I did meet him again afterwards," he said heatedly through his teeth, "he exiled me with his words blunt as old steel: he named me a hideous monster that no one would accept, called me pitiful and told me to do the one thing I always did best, since the night he butchered our clan...to run and save my own life. So I did, surviving off the wild and anything from the villages I salvaged only to return when I no longer needed them. No one ever saw my true face - except Karin and the others." He bowed his head in utter shame and disgust; for the first time his stomach churned with the memory of the yearly coercions that his body craved against his mind and rational thinking.

 _Imagine what she must think of me, just like everyone else. I'm grotesque, repulsive inside and out...and an utter failure of a Shinobi. I may have easily taken her down, Naruto, those bandits today...but I could never get to my own brother who destroyed my life._

She watched him for awhile - he could still feel the burn into his flesh - before she turned her back to him, bringing her knees to her chest, in utter shock while trying to remain calm. "You forgot about Ryuu," she said at last.

Sasuke brought the garments closer to himself at the mention of the boy he saved. No, he didn't; he just didn't want to mention it. "What those beasts did to him was inexcusable; their leader who marked him deserved to die. The kid reminds me too much of myself. That was one reason I saved him."

~o~

A minimum of six shadow clones were set out by his command while he remained behind. Naruto crossed his fingers and hoped for the best. Sasuke was in the mountains, so what trouble could there be?

 _ **Don't be too calm, Naruto.**_

 _Shut up._

Turned out the damned fox was right; he spoke too soon, for it was a matter of time before Naruto found his clones dispatched until only one of them remained. He felt his eyes bulge when he saw who it was. "Itachi..." he whispered, listening to the conversation between his clone and Sasuke's murderous brother.

 _"Shadow clones...I'm not surprised to find you here, Naruto Uzumaki,"_ the Uchiha said in that velvety smooth voice that rattled his nerves. _"My brother - we're both here for the same reason. You're under orders from your Hokage, correct?"_

 _"You bet I am!"_ his clone replied. He refused to make direct eye contact - or any part of the man - to attempt to avoid being caught in his _genjutsu. "But what are YOU doing here?! You and your shark-faced friend here to get me again? Because unlike last time, I won't go down without a fight! Let's take this head on!"_ He was able to see the action from the corner of his eye when the long-haired man held up his hand calmly, the hand absent of that ring.

Itachi's sigh was that of bored interest. _"Oh, this is not the perfect opportunity to waste our precious chakra on a short-lived meeting like this. I'm not here on behalf of the Akatsuki; this is one of the few rare times I have my freedom to do as I please. I've been watching my brother all these years with moments to spare, and I have to say I am disappointed in him - though I must confide in you with a secret that it is Orochimaru I blame the most."_

Naruto snarled through his clone. This was utter bull crap, and he wasn't going to take it! How could he justify murdering his entire family and leave his little brother to fend for himself, drown in misery and darkness?! _"What about yourself?!"_ he countered. _"The brother who he looked up to but was stabbed in the back for it! The one who -"_

 _"Enough."_ Itachi's glower was hard and stoic. _"We are not speaking about me. This concerns Sasuke; aren't you the least bit concerned for your friend he has taken back to his cave? Right at this very moment, he's tending to her. And what about her? She's playing her part in trying once more to take advantage of the situation and get through to him...and who knows if she will succeed. Are you willing to risk blowing it all up as you are prone to do?"_ He gave a slight smile that made Naruto angrier. He was prepared to summon another shadow clone and engage him with the Rasengan, but the Uchiha with his Sharingan activated clicked his tongue as he sensed it.

 _"Don't bother, Naruto. I myself have no intentions of bothering Sasuke and the girl. They have too long a night ahead of them to be interrupted. If anything, you should hold onto that powerful faith you have in him..."_


	9. Surrender to the Animal

**It seems the time is definitely near for the new software I don't know what to expect from - I just hate new times where you don't know what to expect, like I said before - so here is the new chapter. Hopefully things go well, but don't get your hopes up. (hugs you all) You guys and this story mean the world to me, as all my readers and fics.**

Chapter Eight

Surrender to the Animal

 _Sasuke...your darkness is too endless for me to find my way around in._

She leaned back against the rocks, her skull chilled from cranium to spinal cord and shooting to throughout her system as she was alone to her thoughts, to Sasuke's story. He had gone out to wash their garments tonight instead of in the morning. Was it just to distract himself from spilling his darkest secrets at last? _It's that bad,_ she thought mournfully.

 _ **"Bad"? Bad does NOT do it justice!**_

She swore she wouldn't let her heart get the best of her, that she should have done what she was ordered to - but now she was having what was truly a change of heart. Her job had gotten more difficult than trying to kill him. And what was worse: it caused her to question her morale. She tried to assure herself that her heart and mind were in the right places...

 _I don't know what to do now. I wish there was a way to change him back, just anything...damn Orochimaru - no, damn does not do justice either. Ooohh, give me something vulgar to unleash at that snake!_ She clutched her fists, nails digging into her palms but not piercing to draw blood. _He said this was permanent for Sasuke. But we don't know if he was lying or not._

 _Lady Tsunade deserves to know about this. Maybe she can issue a hunt for Orochimaru instead; we can keep Sasuke locked up for awhile, for his own good even if he tries to fight back. If I can just convince Sasuke to come back so we can try and help him -_

Sakura stopped her train of thought there, staring at the apple core in her hand. "No," she whispered aloud, "he won't listen to me. He's too proud and stubborn."

"You wouldn't be talking about me, would you?"

She jumped in her seat but otherwise remained where she was. "Not much," she said honestly, not bothering to look at him. "Got them cleaned?"

"Hn. I hung them to dry by morning."

"So, what now in the meantime?" Sakura asked when she finally glanced up at his face. "How am I supposed to sleep here tonight?" That is, if Kakashi-Sensei, Sai and Captain Yamato didn't catch on yet. She'd hate for the men to walk in and see her like this...to just think about that brought forth the tomato blush to her cheeks.

And to her dismay, Sasuke noticed. "You should get used to walking around without much of anything on your body," he said with a chuckle, something rustling the ground when he stepped. He paused there, scowling and hissing through his teeth. Sakura followed his gaze to where he bent over, and gasped softly, eyes bulging, and slapped a hand over her mouth.

 _Bones._

How had she not seen them before?!

Suddenly, her other self was freaking as she was. _**Oh, hell, no! Carnivorous, is he also?! BUT WAIT: he said he'd been living off of wild animals, too. That must be what those bones are. He probably didn't get the chance to recycle the latest kill yet.**_

 _You know, now that I think of it, maybe he's also trying to distract himself from me again - with this. Ain't that the Sasuke I knew, alright?_

That little girl inside of her was hurt that he wasn't giving her much more deserved attention, but she supposed he needed it after her nagging to get his affections and praise. Maybe if she didn't bother him too much tonight, just put up with him for the sake of it, she sooner she was out of here. But that also meant she would have to lie about being with him, that she didn't see him; who knew what story Naruto could come up with, and they wouldn't even have time to think of one together.

But then she remembered his comment about her bare skin. Now she was suddenly looking at him again, flushed angrily and naughtily in one. "How did you ever start doing that yourself?" she blurted. She wasn't used to having a man see her in her underpants, either.

Sasuke turned halfway around, his leg covering much of his manhood, his full, blue-gray lips pulled into that smirk of his. "When you live on your own in the wild, having irritating cloth on your skin means less to worry about." His eyes then roamed over hers, analyzing and making her shrink into her corner. She decided to distract herself with more small talk.

"That thing you wear is all you have then."

"Yes. It's good enough." He turned away from her then and went back to finishing his job in front of her. Something inside her snapped with renewed frustration.

"Sasuke," she ground out, "we have limited time together, so can we at least try and talk more, do something to make it worthwhile?"

His eyes flashed, physically and in the bloody red irises. "Perhaps we shouldn't TRY to have a conversation of any kind, Sakura," he stated. "You should try to get some rest before I return you to your friends and leave this place for good."

"Oh, so you'll just take off again, just like that," she pointed out, picking up the apple core again, itching to throw it at him for the hell of it - but what would happen if she _did?_

He didn't need to elaborate. "Yes."

At this point, Sakura was on her feet again and willing with courage to stalk over to him, half-naked before his wholly nude beastly glory. "HOW?!" she exploded. "Tell me then, Sasuke, how can you continue to live like this?"

He glared her down. "I just told you, Sakura," he growled, "and I don't owe you anything else."

"I may have listened to everything you said, but I don't believe for an instant you can ever make your so-called goal a reality! You had barely fifteen years to do that, counting the last ten, but what happened, huh? You could have had a wife, children and a wonderful home had you stayed in Konoha! Is killing someone like Itachi so important that you'd willingly give up what it means to be _HUMAN?!"_

 _ **SLAP!**_

White-hot pain and vision flashed across her face; her back erupted with pain when she slid across the solid rock. The weight of another body followed along with a hiss of hot breath and a dangerous voice in her ears as she fought to come back to the present and the realization: _Sasuke actually HIT me!_

 _ **OI, THAT BEASTLY TEME IS GONNA DIE BY MY HANDS NOW! LET ME OUT, GIRL! LET ME OUT SO I CAN KICK HIM WHERE IT HURTS MOST!**_

"You still don't understand, Sakura," he raged in his throat. "Why did I bother wasting my breath with you? You're no different than Naruto and the others. Even after I spill my blood and sweat to tell you my suffering, the days I spent in every spring which were wasted washing away what could never be cleansed completely, you don't even comprehend what it's like to lose someone."

 _You son of a bitch,_ Sakura ranted back in her mind before turning her face back and baring her teeth like he was. "You're wrong. I _did_ lose someone - and he's hovering right on top of me." Now THAT got him altogether. His eyes bulged again, and his jaw dropping as he never expected her to say that...

...but as it turned out, that wasn't the only thing to stun him speechless. His eyes adverted down south. She furrowed her brows and followed his gaze, finally noticing the extension of the position they were now in. His clawed hands held her wrists on either side of her head, his muscular body several inches away from making contact with hers. Bare flesh gently rubbing against each other, her legs parted due to one of his own in between. But that wasn't the worst part; the feeling of the lace around her hips sliding over the middle of her pelvis brought forth a jerking shock, itching her in a good way in the aftermath. A good feeling that also scared her as well as him.

 _Our private parts are rubbing together._

~o~

Just how did they end up like this? Their _groins_ touching each other...and the friction created was bringing forth that feeling reserved for his accursed time of the year. Sasuke seethed inside, unable to control himself. She lay half-naked beneath him, one of his legs between both of her spread ones, and his exposed, slowly growing erection was on the rise. Damn it, and he was hoping to not feel this -

\- or even find himself in this _position!_

Stubborn, fierce-tempered woman did this to him! He found himself glaring at her face, letting one of her wrists go. _Oh, damn it all on myself,_ he swore to himself. _I underestimated her this time._ Faster than the Sharingan could grasp, that opened palm lashed out and struck him across the face. He barely felt the sting in his flesh, but it sent him off of her and onto his backside. Yelling in surprise, Sasuke then flinched when his buttocks numbed and flared. He rubbed his face and only watched as she leaped to her feet and hurried away from him, dashing for the cave entrance.

"SAKURA!" he roared after her, getting onto his knees, his wings shooting out. _Was this what she wanted - a_ chase? _Does she wish to see me this angry? If this is a game of hers..._ He felt a malicious grin split his face. _...then I am happy to oblige._

She had taken off with great speed, a buzz of pale peach and pink in one, the sight reminding him of the fruit he fasted on awhile back in Water Country. Thinking about it made his mouth water, combined with heated anger. If there was one thing that was in common with negative emotions like rage, frustration and hatred as well as positive reactions like the rising tightening pleasure in his loins, it was blazing thrill.

 _The thrill of the chase..._

He was taking off into flight, overhead but hiding in the trees as he began his pursuit of the fleeing _kunoichi_ , smirking at the image of her running in her underwear and boots, with only the little animals and the moon as witnesses - and himself. She pushed him too far, and now she was going to pay for it.

He had her in sights, tracking her chakra movements - she would jump from tree to tree, hiding with the belief that he was watching her from overhead. She was leading him on immensely. He sniffed; she wasn't going back to her group, obviously. Why would she in her state of undress?

Sasuke finally got her stopping. She had ended the trail at the spot of the waterfall and spring where he would bathe, but she had no idea of that knowledge. It made it that much easier for him. Sasuke smirked and landed on the earth he knew well. Sharingan eyes scanned the area at the same time his wings rested on either side. _Sakura...where could you be now?_ His need was pounding with more power than ever; why would this be happening to him when he'd finished mating season not many days ago?

 _Unless the Cursed Mark side effect has nothing to do with this..._ The thought alone made him agitated that his body naturally responded to her, since she was not the others.

He sneered at the word special being used. He himself was far from special, having more experience with the sexual side more than her...he stopped himself there when he began to smell the air, catching that of the roaring water pouring into a peacefully resting pool at its base, trying to catch hers somewhere. She was hiding it well; he had a brilliant idea of luring her into a false sense of security if she were to come out just when all was good. She'd been hiding long enough, so surely she was tired by now.

Sakura never tired of anything. She was determined to lead him as far as it would go, but it was a matter of time, and he knew it.

His attention fell onto the spring where he would dip and drift off into his own world. It was large enough to accommodate one person. The light bulb flickered on in his mind as the sinister grin split his face.

~o~

That Sharingan of his - he couldn't have lost her from his sights, right? She ran as fast as she could, dodged him, but she knew that she was far from safe. This wasn't like the dangerous missions she'd be on, but the thrill in every part of her body was present. To know he was chasing her from the air, furiously angry - and _excited._

 _There are two forms of excited for this: one is the excitement to pursue and try to grasp the prize...second is the sexual excitement. Arousal._

She gulped. As much as she hated to admit it, she was aroused on her part. The dampness between her legs was caused because of his groin in contact with hers, the lace undergarment being the obstacle to prevent full joining, amplifying the itching pleasantry in her lower body. What a bad time this was - or _was_ it?

She might not see him again after tonight; he'd made that real clear. They had no happily ever after together, only a single night in which they had to make everything count, filled with a cycle of fighting, resisting, pouring out the deepest secrets the heart had locked away...and now it was coming to this. She was running away from him, just to see how far he was willing to go, to show her that despite his pride, his darkness and his suffering - his self-preservation and dream to murder his brother and restore his clan - he harbored a side he never showed her before. A side he never thought he had. A side that the unwilling victims of his Curse Mark hunger never cared to see in him.

Suddenly, a thought crossed her mind that she had been so careless to gather into theory: _when he catches me, what will he do? Will he...ravage me and then kill me like the others?_

 _ **If he does, his balls are mine to tear off with my bare hands just before we both die!**_ the fiery side of her inner self promised.

Finally stopping, Sakura decided that this place she came across would be where the chase ended. It wasn't because she was tired; the entire looks of it seemed perfect, avoiding the cliché of a romantic waterfall notion. But it was still breathtaking; a thunderous sheen of silver cascaded into a smooth disc of glass. Was it her imagination, or did she see something behind the fall...

Suddenly, her senses were blaring. _**IDIOT, DON'T STOP! HE'S ALMOST HERE!**_

Her only option was to dive through that raging downward falling curtain, and when she did, Sakura found herself hidden from view and in a space of shimmering rock, like the size of her closet at home. Sighing, she leaned backwards, pressing her back against the wall, shivering at the contact against her soaked, naked flesh. Inside her boots, her toes curled when she made out the shadowy shape of a winged being coming from overhead. _Sasuke._ His movements indicated that he was scanning, but did not find her yet. Or if he did, then he must be counting on her to come out on her own - _oh, that's his game, too! Crafty bastard!_

Suddenly, the winged shadow was gone, followed by a light splash of water. She frowned. Did he just get a drink, being so thirsty now after the flight? Suddenly, she was getting cold being back here. She wanted something warm now, never mind it being weak. The human body needed what it needed, right? She wanted nothing more than to call the game off and have him take her back to the cave...

No sooner was she out of her hiding place again, soaking wet once again and her toes inside her boots sloshing, did she get her heart jumping against her sternum. She did not see Sasuke or sense him anywhere in the trees or surrounding shrubs, but she was jumped at the sound of a greater water splash that didn't come from the waterfall. Her guard had purposefully been up, but the pursuer had the upper hand once again. She half had him in control, but the other half had her fun while it lasted.

 _He hid in the spring; he did it so damned good!_

 _ **DOMINANT MALE HAS CAUGHT THE FEMALE PRIZE!**_

It happened in a flash - she found powerful, clawed arms wrapped around her, ensnaring her and spinning her around, lifting her off her feet before she was pressed against his wet, muscular body. His wings wrapped around them both, keeping her to him so his red-and-black glare bore down into her green one.

"I got you, little flower," he growled, the sound vibrating in his throat. She shuddered and wrapped her arms around his neck. His gray-blue hair was frizzy and matted down like a mop drawn from a bucket. Somehow she found this look of him...sexy. She wasn't sure if she liked this version or the dry wild lion's mane best. His eyes were molten like lava, dark and burning with something deeper than just fury and resentment, far more meaningful than madness and violence...

 _Passion._

 _Obsession._

 _Lust._

That was all she needed to know. It left one thing to do instead of another conversation. He hated talking, but she couldn't stand it during what was about to transpire. Just look at them now: wet and naked, her lacy undergarments scratching at her form, his wings enveloping around them to keep her from escaping him, and his painful erection pressing against her sopping apex.

She was feeling what she'd done to him. He didn't say it aloud, because she saw it in his vengeful gaze which her darker half pointed out. _**You did this to him. He's gonna take it out on you. Are you ready for this?**_

 _You bet I am._ Boldly and uncaring of the consequences, Sakura leaned up to place a kiss on his lips.

Just like she might have expected, his posture and every part of his body went rigid at the contact of her mouth against his. She moaned in spite of herself; the feel was so silky smooth, but he couldn't have taken care of himself the way she would have taken care of herself. He was a _natural._ Sakura broke the link to admire the outline of his lips; she always thought they were plenty kissable when they were younger, and that fantasy had come to fruition. She wanted MORE.

"Sasuke?"

He blinked, saying nothing. He was in shock, never expecting her to do this. The vibrations between their skins told her that he was trying to keep himself together. Was this...emotional? Did this simple contact stir forth something alien he never thought he'd...? _I can't read everything in his eyes...but it's all there even if it's mixed up. Confusion, pleasure, hate, anger...he wants this but can't let his guard down. He's afraid of losing control._

That was it: Sasuke feared losing his control like he did during the horrible mating season. He didn't want to hurt her like this.

His response took her without warning. His embrace around her back and lower body tightened, and his head whipped downwards to recapture her lips with his, his tongue slipping in and curling with hers so they could taste each other. She drank in the flavor of fruit juice as well as his natural spice, intoxicated to her core. His clawed hands then uncoiled from her waist and brought themselves down to grasp her hips, digging in to leave nails marks bitten into her flesh. She whimpered at the pain which became something that tingled her in a positive way. "Sasuke!" His name left her mouth like a repetitive mantra, and it made him growl like the beast he was. He seemed to like hearing the sound of his name from her. She had to ask him before she ran out of breath like this. "How many times...you want...me to say your name?" Sakura panted out, curling her fingers into his scalp, tugging on his hair which drove his nails deeper into her flesh, drawing some rivers of blood now that got under his tips and narrowed on her skin as they descended.

Sasuke's face abandoned level with hers and transferred to her shoulder, placing a brief kiss to send her up the clouds. "Don't care," he said, rough with desire. "As often as you can." Then his teeth latched onto the muscle and skin, the throbbing vein visible for his eyes, and she cried out as he tasted her and threatened to bite the flesh off...but then he retracted his little fangs from there, licking the little blood coming there before examining his handiwork.

He'd marked her. Which meant she was _his_.

 _ **His. You're off-limits to other guys now, Billboard.**_

"Sakura..." His voice was still haggard. "...I won't be able to control myself. I don't want you to be next..."

If he didn't want that, maybe she could try something to make sure. However, she wasn't sure if any of those other girls ever got the chance... "Let me do something for you," she offered, jerking a little in his hold, silently asking him to let her go. His wings had loosened at some point during his branding near her neck, in the left side - which brought her back to the time Orochimaru bit into him, damning him from then on - and now they obeyed her wishes. He frowned, mouth parting to ask her, but did she _have_ to explain to him? She started at both of his collarbones, discovering one of his sensitive key points; he rumbled and purred like a cat. Next she traced the lines of his pectorals while she focused on the dark-colored nipples which tightened under her tongue. His jaw had slackened then, releasing a series of rapid breaths. She continued tasting the water off his smooth, chiseled form, tracing the planes of his abdomen and finally reached where she started the trouble between them.

 _ **Damn, he is HUGE! If those other bitches back home got a glimpse of this, they'd be waving themselves at him for this! And those poor ones -**_

 _Shut up. This is between me and him now. That doesn't matter right now._

Though she had to admit, Sasuke WAS enormous. The length was throbbing and dark at the head, shining and slick, sprouting like a stalk from an overgrown patch of dark gray, blue-tinted pube hair which was flattened against his skin. She'd never done this before, but what could she do to earn his trust? Knowing the basics, such as licking the tip and then moving around to detect certain veins, she did just that, enjoying the feel and taste of him - but his reactions sparked her ministrations the most. Looking up while she sucked him, his eyes had closed, his lips remaining parted while he hissed and threw his head back, his noises becoming growls. His hips thrusted against her face, urging for more.

"Sakura...I've underestimated you." His body arched backwards, bending in his rapture, so his wings touched the ground. "You're so..." His thighs trembled, threatening to give way. "No one has done this for me before."

That was the first real, honest truth he gave her besides what he told her about Orochimaru. She'd struck gold; she was the first to give him the best head ever, and it was from someone who learned enough despite never doing it before.

She grinned at him, knowing she got him and was pleasing him right - but then it was over. "Alright, stop." He pulled himself from her mouth, exhaling and darkened to his cheeks, as close to a blush as he could get. He looked down at her while taking shallow breaths. The bittersweet taste of him remained in her mouth.

His claws took her by the forearms then and hauled her to her feet, spinning her around and pulling her to his body again. He would have come if he hadn't stopped her; she felt his pulsation against hers when her left leg hooked around his hip. She didn't expect Sasuke to find interest in sniffing her skin, starting with where he bit her and traveling down to the small curves of her breasts, at the vast valley which would have had voluptuous curves her friends had, then down her stomach, his nails scratching over her sides if not leaving more marks - she moaned and whimpered at the pleasure in her nerves, her sensitive parts painfully tight - and then ending at the part covered with lace, soaked more than the rest of her body. _Oh, God, he SMELLS me!_ she realized with embarrassment when his nose touched that part, not seeing that it was her oversensitive bud.

Sasuke hummed when he stared at her lace-covered triangle for a few moments longer, his eyes moving upwards if not his entire head. "You don't want to wait anymore," he noted, before tearing off the garment without warning. Sakura gasped sharply; she should have expected he'd do that. She hadn't been expecting a _lot_ tonight. Her barriers were coming down because of this intense thread tying them together by fate's hand.

"Yeah...I want you, Sasuke. Even if it's only for tonight."

His teeth bared in a satisfied primal grin that made more of her molten liquid seep through, catching his attention once more. Then something nimble, moist and bold startled her nerve bundles. Sasuke had licked her. She wasn't surprised in the slightest, instead moaned and brought her hands to his hair again, but he had other plans. He stood then and reached for her bra, the only thing covering her body, shattering the hooks beyond repair. Her breasts were for his eyes now, but suddenly she felt self-conscious and covered her chest with both hands, causing his brows to furrow and his lips to purse. "I'm flat as a board," Sakura said softly, looking down. "Unlike my friends and those other girls you..."

"Hn, I never pay attention to that - nor do I care," he told her, startling her. _He...he never cared about the bust size of the female victims he was with. He didn't care about anything other than what his body was made to do._ That both disturbed her and pleased her. That meant he didn't care about her insecurities either. Mustering up the courage, Sakura looked at him again, seeing the tugging of a smile that reassured her the best it could. He also happened to enjoy the sight of her slim build and lightly flared hips.

Oh, man, her boots! She realized this when she looked down. She was about to bend down and remove them, but he commanded her, "Stop. I like you this way." Her skin was on fire again, but not as much as her dripping thighs which needed that big, meaty thing between his.

"Lay down, Sakura."

The earth against her back was much better than a mat or cot serving as a bed back at the inn or even her own home. Sasuke's beautifully sculpted body was over her again, the sight of him no longer repulsive, but a perfection in its own. He had no control over himself, yet he was doing his best to restrain himself with her. His eyes roamed over her, with her legs together and bent at the knees, both arms over her chest. He slipped between her limbs and parted them so his manhood was touching her sex, and he carefully pried her arms to expose her breasts flattened now against her chest, ultimately bringing her nickname to light, but as he said loud and clear, he didn't care, taking away all her doubts now.

"Ugh!" His tongue flicked over one rosy nipple before moving to the other, teeth applying more pressure and threatening to pierce the skin. He suckled on her flesh as though trying to draw some milk, like an infant. "Oh, you...y-you bast -"

Sasuke chuckled because he took a sadistic pleasure in torturing her like this. One hand fondled the other breast before trailing down her side and resting at her hip, the other going between her legs and getting lost in the dark pink pubic hair she'd shaved and trimmed five days ago. He hummed in approval when he felt this. Deciding he had enough of her breast, he elevated his body upwards and was bringing his hips to align with hers at the same time his erect stalk was just slipping through her slick petals. He didn't bother asking her if she was ready when the evidence of her purity was corrupted, followed by a spreading pain in her pelvis. Her body jerked; she swallowed the shriek which brought that priceless expression on his face. "Sakura!"

"I - I'm okay," she insisted, reaching up with both hands to grasp his shoulders and squeezed them. "It's only...my first time."

His eyes bulged wider. "You mean...you've never _done_ this?" he exclaimed. He'd assumed she'd been with a man before him, like he'd had several from both sexes for many years. She couldn't help but laugh, only he didn't think it was funny. "Honestly, didn't any man throw himself at you?"

 _Maybe I should tell him._ "Lee," she answered, and his eyes narrowed, so she quickly added, "No, we never were together! He was nice, a great friend...but he wasn't you, Sasuke." She finished with a whisper, half from bliss and half from the lingering throb of pain with her virgin barrier broken. He noticed this and eased it with a brief thrust of his hips. The electric current exploded between their bodies, causing them both to throw their heads back and moan as one. "Sasuke, please." She removed her hands from his shoulders and trailed over his chest, loving the feel of his muscles. No matter that he no longer looked like the boy she remembered, no matter the horrendous deeds he did because of a terrible power, a monstrous past in two forms by two people who caused them - he was a beautiful being inside if not on the outside. He was conflicted, agonized, but here she was to ease that. She let him have her as much as she wanted to have him.

"You asked for it." With that, he began to drive in and out of her gently at first before his pent-up need overtook his senses, picking up the pace and granting them both an uncontrollable energy to feed their bodies and souls. Before she closed her eyes and let her body writhe beneath his, she saw his take in every curve, every lean muscle, her legs wrapping around his waist so her booted feet pressed against his bare, firm butt which made him growl again. Somehow she liked his growls more than anything.

"Gods, that's so...good!" she finally blurted when she felt his bulging sex pulse within her womanly walls. _Yes, oh, hell yes, he's making me a real woman now...the boy I dreamed of finally doing this to me..._

A tiny part of her wished he was in his true human form, just so she could see the man he was now. See if he was still just as beautiful as he was before he left her, Naruto and everyone else - but it would never happen. If what Orochimaru said was true, that there was no cure, Sasuke was stuck like this forever. This was the final descent for him; all she could do was do her best to be beside him. If not physically like tonight, then spiritually would be more than enough. _I hope he realizes that after tonight._ Sakura opened her eyes to look upon him again.

His teeth were bared in his panting state as he ravished her, the moonlight intensifying every line of his muscled body, his face marked by that black thing on his nose, his blazing eyes permanent with the Sharingan, and his untamed hair regaining its frizz. His wings had raised and spread out on either side of him, giving him the appearance of a demon.

If he was a demon, then that made her a sinner.

A sinner in another form of heaven brought by her own hand that the rest of society and the gods above would greatly disapprove of.

But she no longer cared.

Without warning, he somewhat changed positions while remaining inside her. He sat back on his legs, crossing them and adjusting her on his lap, keeping her legs around him. The oncoming nirvana they were seeking increased tenfold with each thrust she had the pleasure of taking the reins and giving him now. His claws were now traveling over her back, the warning bells going off and - oh, too late. The howl tore from her lips, piercing the heavens and echoing throughout the opened country, when his nails scratched her back; the blood trailing down in greater streams than the ones on her hips had done. But the pain turned to pleasure like before. She loved him marking her; she wanted no other man but him. She always wanted no one but him, even when she realized that her feelings as a child were only an infatuation.

 _This is far from that._

That enlightened place they sought reached them with a discharge of pearly and molten pleasure exchanged between their bodies, which slumped forward into each other. Sweat breaking from their skins replaced drying water. Muscled masculine arms pulled a smaller, feminine body deeper into his as she leaned into him, tired and wanting to go to sleep now that she'd surrendered to him. Before she drifted off, she was aware of his wings coming around to wrap around them one more time, shielding them both from the world and uncaring if anyone would come by and interrupt their moment of outlawed ecstasy.

Sakura Haruno entered the land of dreams whilst in the arms of Sasuke Uchiha, her beast, after he had _deflowered_ her beneath the moon, where the god Tsukuyomi gazed upon the two lovers.

 **Took me a couple days to do this moment I waited a long time since the beginning for - and good news on two sides.**

 **So, there you have it. :D I'm tempted to say something intelligent and professional but can't think of anything. XD The moment between Sasuke and Sakura was implanted from the very start: the image of him dominating her in his Cursed Mark second state, wild and raw and animalistic but plenty steamy. ;D**

 **No new software, as you all might have guessed, so no troubles or worries for awhile longer. It's okay, though, because I live another day to make you guys happy. :D Stay tuned for more.**

 **Reviews definitely appreciated for this one. (naughty grin)**


	10. Barriers

Chapter Nine

Barriers

With or without the Sharingan, he saw this coming from miles away, beyond the mountains.

He was lingering in the area again when Leader did not call for him and Kisame again, instead chose Deidara and Sasori for his next assignment, which left him and Kisame in the same village between the Leaf and Sound. However, Itachi wished there was one such mission he and his partner could have been given, involving a certain snake who turned his little brother into the monster he was now.

 _Orochimaru is not the only one to blame._

He wasn't surprised that Sasuke's ever devoted - or should he say, obsessed? - friends decided to finally come. They couldn't have left their village on their own; their Hokage had to have given permission. And they were not alone: ANBU Black Ops was also on Sasuke's trail. _No doubt to kill my brother if he tried anything, or restrain him, and take him back in a cage. I highly doubt they will kill him, but Sasuke's Kyuubi friend will do everything in his passionate loyalty to beg for his life to be spared...and the petal-haired girl will no doubt fall on her knees with her heart through her lips._

It made Itachi reach a conclusion: _given Naruto failed, let's see if Sakura Haruno can try a second time. I believe she failed the night he abandoned her and the village...but who's to say a night with my brother can attempt now?_ He tried to smile but failed ultimately. Sasuke was proud and willful as ever, so confident - but he remained in the same place all these years. He had his own path, but what good had it given him?

 _Uncontrollable, animalistic appetites of the flesh...murdering those victims in the end...and nothing but brawling petty criminals. He couldn't even best Orochimaru, the genius of the legendary Sannin, if he wanted to..._

 _...but this better be the resort. Sakura should be the one if Naruto couldn't. The boy is too reckless, too obsessed and fixated...but he's very loyal to Sasuke. He swore to bring him back with whatever it took._ This made Itachi smile now.

"Foolish little brother," he said softly as he stood in the forest, waiting for the arrival of Naruto whom he sensed was coming - or perhaps a shadow clone, at least. He'd seen it all happen from start to finish, and he had to say he was pleased that Haruno-chan had improved, had her will to go up against the one she loved with her Shinobi way. He heard it all: she told Sasuke she would kill him if it was what it took, if he wouldn't come back. She'd asked him why he didn't kill Naruto, and he'd responded that it was all on a whim: his friend wasn't the one he wanted to kill, a mistake he regretted.

 _"...I spared his life on a whim. Just to see if Konoha's number one hyper, knuckleheaded ninja could get stronger before I kill him."_

Itachi snorted, baring his teeth. "You never could do it," he said under his breath, "and you never will." What had he been thinking to believe the brother he spared that night would ever come up to him...? _Sasuke could never catch up to anyone. It seems I must be the big brother once again and step in._

The opportunity had arisen when Sasuke took the wounded Sakura away from Naruto who had arrived, begrudgingly agreed to go back to his team - but if he knew the Nine-Tails vessel the Akatsuki wanted, then he would stay here as long as it took to talk him out of going back for the girl; Kisame was more than happy to take care of the ANBU warriors who would dare to interfere with tonight's matters. _And to think I was once one of them..._ He closed his eyes on the past, cursing Danzo and the rest of the Elders for this. But he was caught in the middle of their side and his family. He was so young when he was brought into the Third Great War, being only eight years old when he watched those he loved die before his eyes, having to accept ANBU Root when he was only thirteen years of age and reaching puberty. He was never innocent before the starting stages of internal physical adulthood.

Just as Sasuke had been forced to grow up, by his own hands. He'd been protected, given dreams and happiness...but it was butchered by Itachi and the Elders. Danzo wanted him to kill his beloved baby brother, but he had to trade one important part of himself just to protect Sasuke.

He would do the same now, now that he stood before Naruto whom he would not waste precious battle strength on just for the sake of the two people he cared about - and he was indeed talking about the blond young man whom he was pleased physically matured but was disappointed his ideals remained after all these years. Yet he had to trust Naruto Uzumaki with the small fact that he wasn't completely at fault, that Orochimaru was the monster to take away Sasuke from them both...but he had to stay away this time.

Let Sakura Haruno handle this. She was strong enough; she had the Will of Fire. And if anything, Naruto would only make it worse.

"Why should I listen to you, you bastard?" he snarled at the Uchiha, who sighed at the waste of questions and precious breath.

"Because it is logical. You have never cared to look deeper because of orders, while I had time on my hands to observe Sasuke from the shadows. You don't believe me because you don't understand completely, no matter how hard you try to. Take this rationally, like I said, and believe in them both. Whatever the outcome is will be entirely out of your hands. So, if you value that precious ideal of yours, you will take your shadow clones back and allow the night to drone on, and leave me to keep both of my watchful Sharingan eyes on them," Itachi ordered coldly, booking no refusal if the boy wanted to face the wrath of his _genjutsu._

He smiled when the clone vanished in a puff of smoke. "Wise decision," he mused when he turned back and headed in the direction where his brother took the wounded woman into flight.

Sharingan ablaze, he saw it all: Sasuke tending to Sakura briefly before leaving her upon her awakening to awareness and allowing her to heal the rest of the majority of her wounds while he tended to the fire and fed her a little. Itachi had to admit he was amused by what he witnessed in the heated arguments ablaze. Sakura Haruno wasn't the girl his foolish brother remembered, the "annoying" _kunoichi_ who fawned over him and protected him the best she could - but she couldn't protect him from Orochimaru and his promise of power and revenge. Just as Naruto could not...but look at such determination and commitment.

Sakura really would not let all of this be; she was determined on her part to protect him now despite orders. She would have to eventually be forced to choose between Sasuke and her ninja code. Itachi had been forced to do the same when it came to his duty and his baby brother.

He felt his heart split when he detected Sasuke telling her about his ordeal in Orochimaru's experiments, his pain and the anguish of the mating side effects of the Curse Mark. Then he heard what he remembered as well as Sasuke the blunt, harsh manner in which he told his brother what a hideous wretch he was, how he was still too weak, and condemning him worse than he already was. It was then that Itachi felt the corner of his eye burn, but he refused to let the tear fall.

 _I still have a duty to owe the Lead Village. I must ensure Sasuke does not know the truth; he cannot become involved in my life. He is supposed to get stronger...but look what the snake and I have done to him._

What transpired between Sasuke and Sakura made him chuckle - yet it also worried him as much as he hated to admit it. That position after yet another heated outburst and a strike to the woman's face, their bodies so close together, and finally her pushing him away and running with her life depended on...she intended to lead him on. The elder Uchiha knew why: she wanted to see how far Sasuke would go to prove he wasn't the monster he was made to be. _Ten years is long enough to harden the soul, mind and heart,_ he mused, rubbing the ring on his finger with his other thumb out of habit, _but with these two together again, I am curious to see if he will do to her what he has done to the others..._

Sakura put up a good chase and grand finale at the waterfall Sasuke loved to bathe, and it ended with steam that could have evaporated the spring and fall. Itachi narrowed his eyes, pursing his lips as he watched the wild, ravishing, blood-letting - the markings on the female rather than the dominant beastly male - intercourse between the one he abandoned to a life of darkness, hate and anger as well as the one who balanced with light, love and passion.

 _It's stronger than I thought - than they both think. But...I see something stirring from this. The situation has only gotten more complicated, unless I act._

~o~

He was the one to awake just before the sun began to peek over the horizon. His wings were sensitive as his natural awareness that dawn was coming. Opening them and stretching, Sasuke yawned and then sighed when he felt his bones pop from this position. Tension eased when he assessed the circumstances. He had...been with Sakura during the night. He had never coupled with someone and let them live afterwards.

 _Why do I feel so...content? I felt like this before, but I never let them..._

His train of thought ended when he looked down at her body against his, her bare backside against his groin, but there was no stirring. Her face against his breastbone, her arms crossed over her chest and snuggling further into him in a silent question for protection. He did not know what to make of this. He found himself looking over the dried blood and the scratches on her back as well as her hips, and a faint trail of blood down one of her thighs, proof that he WAS her first. None of the other women had been virgins; he didn't even care to pay attention to that knowledge regarding Karin, never told the difference if her first cries were pain or pleasure, or the two combined...

Sasuke bared his teeth, but no sound came out. Why was he comparing Karin to this one in his arms? Sakura wasn't her. He'd known her when they were barely entering preteen years. And here she was, in his arms just as the morning light was starting to come.

He had no time to dwell. They had an agreement that she spent the night with him to heal, they had enough time to "catch up" - to a degree - but now they would part ways. He would return her to her team and then gather whatever he could of his belongings here, and take off. Only he did not know where to go now...

Standing, Sasuke continued to hold Sakura in his arms bridal style and spread his wings for flight. There was some mild disappointment that he lost some contact with her skin against his. He was unable to stop thinking about the memory of her lips on his most intimate part, which he never allowed the other girls to do... _no one has ever done that to me before. I can't even describe it. She had a talent for that tongue, which I never thought I'd get from her...she caressed certain parts on my body I never allow another..._

 _...and she has such strength to resist the pain my hands gave her. Pain and pleasure...the taste of her, the smell and feel of her...her inner muscles around me..._ That last part was no different than before, but seeing Sakura writhe beneath him and spill herself around him was enough to drive him over an edge that wasn't the dangerous pitfall of the sacrificial rites. It was a fall, but with a shorter landing that erupted with an impact of bliss, turning them both into mush. He was in deep with the aftermath of the rapture to think about anything else. He didn't want to go back to the cave after that, instead settled on pulling her bleeding, slightly maimed body close to his and closed his wings around them.

Sakura was still asleep when they arrived, his feet landing on the gravel without trouble. He walked over and laid her down on his makeshift bed. She slumped to her side and moaned, stirred but didn't wake. Sasuke regarded her for one more moment before leaving her there and going to retrieve their drying garments.

 _This will not happen again,_ his mind was telling him from the moment he acted out and then returned to her, seeing her now sitting up and stretching. He stayed where he was, watching as her muscles and small breasts heaved with each movement. The yawn that left her was soft like a spring bird's call. How had he not noticed this in her before? She ran her hands through her hair, combing it the best she could before realizing she wasn't alone - or should he say, she noticed HE wasn't against her anymore? He cleared his throat to get her attention.

She only looked at him but didn't say anything. He couldn't detect anything even remotely shy about her now that they... "Have I hurt you?" he asked, the question utterly stupid. He took in the scratches and winced now. _By my hands. But she doesn't seem to mind._

"No," she answered, then looked at their clothes in his arms. "Before you go...do you know where you're heading now?"

"You'll never hear from me when I make my decision." It was for the best, he tried to tell himself. "ANBU can't follow my trail again, and since this is bound to get back to the Hokage, I doubt she'll send you and Naruto back after me."

She took her clothes from him with a frown. "I don't like the idea of you going someplace cold, if that's what you're thinking. I don't know how you manage like that..." She nodded over his form as he wrapped his worn cloth around his waist and secured it with the purple rope, at the same time she was standing and pulling her knee-length skirt up. Sakura's undergarments were shattered beyond repair during their animalistic coupling last night. He couldn't help but snicker to himself at how fun it had been to destroy her underpants just to get to those parts...and she enjoyed it, too.

Sasuke looked at her with irritation. She was frazzling his nerves already again. "I've handled it before," he told her, watching as she pulled her shirt over and sealed it in the front, bottom to up. "I find suitable garments to my liking, depending which villages surround. But I don't intend a frigid environment at this time of year."

Sakura walked over to him, after securing her weapons back on herself, and it made him remember his beloved katana blade which he had to put back together because she broke it in half getting it out of herself. _She was bold to pull it out of herself - or attempt to. She bled...for me._

"You can always come back with us. We can even hunt down Orochimaru, capture him and bring him in, force him to find the cure you want."

~o~

So, Naruto definitely had himself and Sakura in a pickle when the rest of Team Seven caught on, and how could he even lie to them all? At least they knew where Sasuke was, and he would gladly lead them to him and Sakura. _He'd better hold onto his word and not kill her...or whatever he could be doing to her besides treating her like she would treat her patients._

 _ **I told you, I doubt he will,**_ the fox replied half-heartily, rumbling behind his cage. _**I won't be surprised if she got what she dreamed of all those years...**_

Naruto cringed. _I don't want to know; keep those images out of my head!_ He had them a long time ago about her, but they were childish, and he had the wonderful, soft-hearted Hinata who would gladly have his children.

Neither of the men around him were pleased with what he'd told them, because in the end, a lie would blow up. He never lied to any of his friends or comrades for whatever reason - okay, he did dance around a bit, but never completely lied to their faces.

"Leaving your comrades like this in the middle of the night - and Sakura got hurt, but you let him take her away," Yamato had stated bluntly, shaking his head. "We could have tracked him together and surprised him, called in ANBU, but instead we find out that he knew we were on his tail!"

Kakashi had exhaled sharply and ran his fingers through his silver hair, looking down at the ground. "Boy, we got a Plan B on our hands now. Naruto, you take us to where you found him, and then I send my ninja hounds to sniff out the mountain from there. Sai, you contact ANBU and inform them at once," he ordered the young artist, former lackey of Danzo, who was more than happy to comply. Naruto lowered his eyes to the ground, but not out of shame. This wasn't the first time he was in a bit of a mess, but this time felt worse because two of his best friends...

It was then and there, afterwards, that they got the word back from Sai's inked beasts: the ANBU guards assigned were all dead. Drained of chakra. There was no way Sasuke could have done this, which meant that...

"Akatsuki," Kakashi declared through his teeth. "They are here in the country. Which means we have two problems to face."

Maybe Naruto should regret not telling them about Itachi, but he had his reasons for keeping that information to himself and the Nine-Tails. Itachi knew more than he did - but didn't the bastard realize that NARUTO knew Sakura's feelings for Sasuke...

...or was the elder Uchiha responsible for Sasuke's pain have something up his sleeve that the Kyuubi vessel didn't know? _He did say he'd watch over them for me...does that mean he CARES more than I thought? I don't even understand that bastard like I still can't understand his brother..._

~o~

Was there a way to describe how she felt when she awoke to the tingling of marks on her back and hips, in her sensitive feminine parts and other places that she had to try and figure out - before she noticed she was alone. What was she thinking, wishing he'd be here when she opened her eyes...and she saw they were no longer outside. She remembered how wild it had been, raw with blood, heated with pleasure, and a climax she couldn't put a good name to.

Sakura winced a little when she felt IT between her legs: the little dribble of blood down her thigh which was the proof she wasn't a virgin anymore, which was short-lived bliss at its finest. This was going to happen only one time, but it was... _wonderful_ while it lasted.

Sasuke returned with their clothes which had dried overnight. She bolted when she noticed her undergarments were missing before remembering he'd torn them apart beyond repair, which humored and irritated her at the same time. _If he had money, I'd force him to buy me a new set,_ she thought, just to make herself laugh.

She wouldn't be surprised if Naruto hadn't been able to come up with a suitable answer for the others. In the end, what was there to say? Lying to your comrades never boded well, and what waited for them when they went back to Lady Hokage? She needed to know what Sasuke said, if they could change the mission to hunting Orochimaru himself no matter how difficult it was, but that also meant a continual manhunt for him, or worse:

 _Label him as a rogue ninja. He's already a monster in their eyes, but I've seen otherwise..._

On top of that, he wouldn't tell her where he was going now that his location was discovered. He was purposefully doing this, having so much more low self-esteem that cut so deep to the bone - and she was tired of it. Just as she was tired of him putting her off like this, especially when she had to be concerned if he would go someplace cold; he must have done that in the past, when going place to place, so how did he keep himself warm in such climates?

She was relieved when he said he had no intentions of going anywhere cold, but that would not stop her there. "You can always come back with us," Sakura had to say, even if it took all her breath like Naruto. "We can even hunt down Orochimaru, capture him and bring him in, force him to find the cure you want." His eyes flashed when they met with hers, and his fangs were bared. She'd hit a wrong button again, and it was on purpose.

"And what would happen if I DID come back, hmm?" he hissed. "I told you that there is no cure for me..."

"There is ALWAYS a chance!" Sakura countered heatedly, clenching her fists. "Kami damn it all, Sasuke, why and how can you be so stubborn and lost of hope?! If anyone can find the antidote or not, it's Orochimaru by force -"

"Which is implausible! It also means keeping me locked up as an animal, which is exactly what they will do, and you know that!" Sasuke roared. "High chances are they will prevent me from ever leaving the village again! They'll never let me get my revenge on Itachi! No one understands my depths as well as you have!" His eyes bulged then as soon as the words slipped through his mouth. She felt her own do the same. A heavy silence washed over them both which felt like an uncomfortable eternity.

 _He said that I understand him...is he_ admitting _it?_

Before she could ask, he shook his head, closed his eyes and turned halfway from her. "Forget I said anything." _Like HELL I will!_

"So, I guess this ends it all." She had another trick up her sleeve that might stay in his mind - if his dense, barrier-filled brain would allow it. "Revenge is all you care about in the end." Her mind decided it best to leave Itachi's name out of the mix, because it would only make him lash again, which only made things worse instead of better. But there was one more thing to add.

"But when that day does come and you meet him again...what will you get out of it?"

 _ **Oh, boy, we got him there! Look at his face!**_

Sasuke's eyes opened as his features softened, like he was calculating what she said. For a moment, hope arose in her, before it fell flat when he looked at her and stalked over, picking her up just like that and making way towards the entrance. "Sasuke!" she yelled angrily, struggling in his hold. "Are you going to answer me, you bastard?!"

"Be quiet. I've said enough, you know enough...our time is up, Sakura."

 **Man, oh man. (shakes head) Sasuke really is dense as a rock. Slowly his barriers ARE being broken down, but we know he won't give in that easily. Itachi's gonna definitely step his game up, and it also begs what Orochimaru is up to nowadays besides his usual. He's the majority of our beloved characters' problems after all.**

 **And now Sasuke returns Sakura to the team he once had. Their affair ends - for now. This isn't the last of the story. How can it be? ;)**


	11. If It Takes Every Breath and Bone

**I'm currently on episode 324 of the show, and I have just this to say thus far after everything: MADARA IS BOSS. :D My boyfriend who loves this anime and the manga so much (and who got me into this show to begin with) was happy beyond the boundaries, given he waited forever for me to see what a GOD Madara Uchiha truly is.**

Chapter Ten

If It Takes Every Breath and Bone

"Sasuke."

To stand before them all made him turn his marked nose upward, regarding every single member with contempt - especially at the pale-skinned young man he assumed was his replacement, and the male Shinobi had to have been ANBU at one time, but it begged WHY he had joined his former team. To see Kakashi made him sneer, but none moreso than at the dobe whose emotions were not betrayed.

Sasuke stood before them all, wings spread out on either side of him, and Sakura was in his arms redressed and wearing her cloak which had been recovered. "Never thought it would come to this, huh, Kakashi?" he asked with a snort, setting her down and ignoring her altogether as well as the look she gave between him and her team. "You are all here to take me back."

"That's right, Sasuke," the silver-haired masked man answered grimly. "It pains me to see you..." His revealed eye traveled up and down once. "...like this. Orochimaru's doing. I wish I was there when Yamato and Sai here ran for you at Orochimaru's lair with Naruto and Sakura...and I am feeling what I assume is the agony the late Third Hokage felt when he fought against his own pupil." _The day the snake attacked the village, he branded me, at the Chunin Exams...the days my life was once again changed._

"Save your sob feelings for the boy you remembered, my old sensei," Sasuke spat. "What you are looking at now is a monster - a monster. A monster who ravaged helpless victims like reported to the small-minded, and the elders who cling to traditional ideals instead of today's importance. Even if I were to go back with you, there'd be no hope at all for me. I left because I was supposed to destroy the one who ruined my life and butchered my clan I would have restored when he destroyed it. You tried to stop me once, but look at me now!" His voice raised an octave at the last part, and he gestured over himself with one clawed hand that made Naruto flinch and step back.

Kakashi closed his eye and let his raised hand in a silent plea drop to his side.

The beast-man narrowed his eyes at the brunette ninja whom he learned was named Yamato. "Kakashi," he said, "it's no use trying to reason with him now. He's too far gone."

"Captain Yamato is right," the pale-skinned fool agreed, looking at Sasuke with eyes dark and ranging with an unreadable myriad of thoughts that the Sharingan became baffled as its owner. "Sasuke Uchiha is too narrow-minded to listen anyway." Now that was enough to set the Uchiha into an internal frenzy. His lips pulled back with a feral snarl.

"Say that again, small fry." _Just how did they find someone like him to be my replacement? I'll be satisfied to stain my blade with his blood._ He took a step forward, drawing forth a kunai before Sakura had to plea with him.

She turned all the way around and raised her open palm before him...and placed it over his chest. Over his _heart_. Sasuke stopped, feeling his eyes widen and saw the same reaction from the other men. _Sakura stopped me - no, she_ TOUCHED _me._ His heartbeat began to pick up because of it; he never let another before her touch him this way, or the way she did last night. It made him feel weak and infuriated that she had to stop him with a simple caress over one of his vital pressure points. "Sakura," he hissed, glaring down at her, tightening his grip around the handle of his blade, "take your hand off at once."

"No," she ground. "Sai is a good friend. He means well, and he's been with us all this time to try and help bring you home to us. He didn't understand in the beginning because he was cursed by Danzo, lost his brother if not entirely the same as you - but he WAS forced to turn against him towards the end of their lives together...was forced to fight him. You have no idea how much pain he was in at the time. And now that Danzo is gone, Sai is lifted of his entrapment, and he's one of us completely. He's going to marry Ino soon."

Sasuke found himself making eye contact with the other man, Sai, wrinkling his nose. _Hn, someone is dumb enough to marry HER...wait, he had a_ brother? _Just exactly how much of brothers happy around me and losing one am I supposed to take in a lifetime?!_

 _"He was forced to fight his own brother. You have no idea how much pain he was in..."_

The haunting words echoed in him. He felt paralyzed, standing this way for an eternity before the ones he once called friends and comrades. Closing his eyes, Sasuke took all of this in...but he did not let it touch him completely. Whoever this fool's brother was, he didn't slaughter their family like...

"It does not concern me any further," he said at last. He would NOT let any of them get to him. He needed to get away from here; he'd been in their presence long enough. Yet when he found himself looking into Sakura's eyes, pleading with him as she pleaded with him all night in and out of the cave, he had to curse to himself. Even more when the Shinobi, Yamato, had to speak up.

"The semen we found within the body of your latest victim, Karin Uzumaki, was matched with yours." _Wait, Karin is related to_ Naruto _?! Not that it concerns me; they found means to track me down._ "You've been heralded as a cannibalistic rapist and murderer, Sasuke Uchiha. We are all under orders of the Hokage to bring you in alive and unharmed, and you are surrounded by ANBU, so if you resist..."

"I'm afraid all of ANBU assigned is dead. You must already know that well enough, but to lie to my brother like this won't do any good. He isn't going with you, Leaf Village Shinobi," a familiar low and rich voice filled with cold malice caught the attention of all behind Sasuke himself. When he turned around, he turned his back to his former team and the newcomers he had met amongst them. He sensed Sakura take a step backwards so she was beside Naruto. _Good,_ he thought, half with a smirk and half with a sneer at the one before them all.

Sasuke seethed at the cloaked man with the slashed headband of the Leaf Village. After all these years, those cruel words that damned him to a wild life and a stunt in his quest.

"Itachi."

~o~

Assuming the position beside Kakashi-Sensei, Naruto on the other side, she clenched her fists when all five of them turned their attentions from the beastly man who abandoned them - cut off all his ties to them, shattering hearts and hers most of all - to the one who made his bold appearance known to them all.

 _Itachi Uchiha._

She was tempted to hurl a kunai at him, but he would catch her in that _genjutsu_ of his for sure. Just remembering what he did to Naruto, to Sasuke, Kakashi-Sensei ten years ago...it was unforgivable as the murders of his own clan. She felt her lips pull back, baring her teeth. "Itachi...Uchiha," she hissed, knowing Naruto was with her on this one.

"There should not be any violence today between reunited old comrades," the elder Uchiha said in a calm, monotoned voice as he looked straight at his younger, transformed brother who kept his hold on his knife. "Sasuke...it has been a long time since we last met." He just thought he could casually stroll in like nothing happened, did he?! It made Sakura angrier, Naruto more fired up, and Kakashi narrowed his eye. Yamato and Sai, however, held their ground, the former ready to use his Wood Style to ensnare both of them if he had to. But Itachi could gain the upper hand with his malevolent Sharingan, though Captain Yamato knew better than to let that happen.

"It has...and you couldn't have come at a more perfect timing, brother," Sasuke replied heatedly, bending at one knee and then sliding the other behind him, assuming a semi-crouching position.

The assuming pose did not amuse the elder, or so Sakura thought. He was hard to read, this one. "Hmm, you really are foolish after all these years if you think you can take on the likes of me, brother," Itachi stated with a flick of a finger. "The rest of you - this concerns only my brother and myself...unless you all wish to face the wrath of the Mangekyo Sharingan."

It was Naruto's job to snap, but this time was Sakura's. "You murderer," she shouted, "what will your brother accomplish by killing you?"

All eyes were on her, and all shocked: Sai, Yamato, and even Kakashi. Naruto's bulged and blinked at a rapid pace. Sasuke? He remained ever passively frustrated, one corner of his mouth tugging into a half-scowl. Itachi regarded her coolly and unflinchingly. "Haruno-chan..." She flinched on the inside when he had the nerve to call her dear. When did he have the right?! "...you really are brave to stand up to my brother. Just like the _Jinchuuriki_ , you don't wish to see Sasuke killed." That was when he did smile, and it made both her and Naruto angrier.

"Sasuke, you know your brother is -" Naruto started only to get cut off.

"I KNOW WHAT HE'S LIKE, DOBE!" he roared. "Now _stay out of this - the BOTH of you!_ " _Just like the "good old days", when he told Naruto to stay out of his way...and then again, I was almost the same, and I got rescued by them more times than I picked myself up..._

She decided then and there to step up again, ignoring Kakashi's hand on her shoulder, feeling more like Naruto than ever. "We'll never give up on you! We'll go to Lady Tsunade; there is no way she can refuse the hunt for that snake and force him to find a cure, and we can even do one of our own based on what he can give us -" _Assuming Orochimaru_ does _cooperate._ "- and we will rather die than let you live more years, or even the rest of your life like this!"

"Yeah, remember what I told you to, to get it through that thick skull of yours, _teme!_ " Naruto hollered back. "If you kill your brother this way - yes, I agree what he did was unforgivable, and I still hear you when you said a long time ago I never had a family like you - you'll be no better than he or Orochimaru! Hell, what you've done to innocent people was all because of HIM, and we'll make the whole world see that if it takes every breath and bone in our BODIES!" By this time, he was out of breath, and a long, eternal silence followed before it was broken by none other than Kakashi.

"Naruto, you can stop now."

He looked long and hard at both brothers; Itachi was watching all of this with collected interest. "You're wasting breath and precious time here. As I have said, I have no quarrels today with either of you, nor am I interested in Naruto for the matter," he stated simply, taking them all by surprise. "Like I said, all tailing ANBU are dead by Kisame's hand...just so I could get to my dearest brother here."

~o~

 _At least the Leaf Shinobi were wise enough to heed my warning and flee...and now is my chance._ Itachi found himself standing face to face with Sasuke once again, but his brother's reaction was the same as ever when he stood before the Akatsuki.

"Don't expect me to thank you for getting them away from me," Sasuke said through his teeth, "and don't expect me to go easy on you now that we are alone." He reassumed the crouching position, but Itachi clicked his tongue.

"I have been calling you a fool for years, _otouto,_ " he said, "but you are an even bigger fool over the Haruno woman. I think it is time we had a familial conversation, leave out the hostilities just for today, and the time to come when you show me how strong you have gotten now...or have your abilities rusted with your apparent lack of self-esteem about your image? Over the years I have kept close watch on you, and never have I felt such tremendous disappointment in you, Sasuke. What I witnessed last night made me realize I ought to put my foot forward and be your 'kind and gentle' older brother once more..."

 **There you have it. Let's see how big brother "helps" Sasuke with his situation while Sakura faces major issues regarding the failed mission (once again, obviously) and her personal ones with the one she finally gave all her love to - to the degree love can be, even if it is unrequited on their parts. But is it REALLY one-sided?**


	12. Open Your Eyes

**Whoo, back. Only a few days, but it still feels like forever, doesn't it? XD Now things are getting all the more complicated for our characters.**

Chapter Eleven

Open Your Eyes

 _"You're wasting breath and precious time here. As I have said, I have no quarrels today with either of you, nor am I interested in Naruto for the matter. Like I said, all tailing ANBU are dead by Kisame's hand...just so I could get to my dearest brother here."_

 _"Well, with our backup gone, it's pointless."_

 _"You learned your lessons well, Kakashi. I remember. In that case, you can take your squad and return to your village until next time. Don't we know by now that nothing ever ends with myself and my brother?"_

He returned voluntarily to the present when his _otouto_ snarled at him. Naruto had objected, of course, and Sakura was tempted to do the same but had to comply; Itachi saw it all in her eyes that she was praying for a "next time", but she ought to know there always is, like her hyper-headed friend. He would not let Sasuke see this, but he was crumbling inside because all these years, he'd broken down his baby brother just to protect him - he did all of that for the village, but it was a price to pay for any personal happiness. Itachi Uchiha never knew such things other than looking out for his brother. Danzo and the other elders including the Third Hokage chose him to put an end to what his father orchestrated, wanted more than just a mere secondary place, because their lineage was proud. Sasuke was too young to understand what Fugaku planned with the rest of the clan; if he could even tell him now, everything would be at ruin.

 _Not like it isn't now. My brother..._

"Don't expect me to thank you for getting them away from me, and don't expect me to go easy on you now that we are alone."

Itachi had to click his tongue. He'd been calling him a fool for years, and he was even moreso now. If the elder had to count off reasons why: Sakura Haruno, for one. He never mated with anyone outside his frenzied season, but what do you know? He smirked behind the collar of his cloak. He was a fool to take such an extreme step, because what would it do to a woman who still harbored the feelings for him from childhood, culminating in last night's events? Sasuke gave no regards to his partner's feelings other than his body's needs...only something was changing, and his _aniki_ was seeing it all...

"Over the years I have kept close watch on you," Itachi continued, "and never have I felt such tremendous disappointment in you, Sasuke. What I witnessed last night made me realize I ought to put my foot forward and be your 'kind and gentle' older brother once more..."

 _The older brother he desired as an innocent child, tried to imitate just to please Father, but always ran to when he needed him the most...and I left him that night with cruel words, a slashed shoulder and a heart broken beyond repair._

Sasuke's kunai buzzed his way, and he made the sign to weave a shadow clone, which broke apart into a flock of crows as the knife passed through him. The little beast discovered too late that his brother materialized behind him with his ringed hand raised, as a warning that he would be under the effects of the Tsukuyomi nightmare realm if he tried any more attacks. "You have no right to call yourself the brother I thought I knew," Sasuke growled, whirling around to face him.

"You're right, Sasuke," Itachi replied. _And I deserve it with every right he has...but he deserves my guidance whether he wants it or not. I am pushing one such boundary I have drawn aside._ "But hear me out if you know what is good for you."

The demonic face contorted in utter shock, not expecting those words at all. A short silence was broken in time when Sasuke hissed again. "Get on with it then. I have a new journey to make soon." Itachi nodded once.

"My beliefs and capabilities have limits, and this time is where I draw such a line for you to think about your _Jinchuuriki_ friend's words...and he is right when he says you have gone no higher than myself and the Snake Sannin. You're lower than the worst scum, and I'd have thought these words I throw back at you would make you stronger, with more anger and hate - but I was wrong. It seems none of this is enough. You know you have taken the words to heart but are afraid to act upon it. You have minimum fate in your friends to bring you back to the light, little brother. You know, deep down, that your way of living isn't who you really are, Sasuke, and you fail to acknowledge that a life of solitude isn't sustainable enough -"

"SHUT UP!" The Chidori flashed before his eyes, but out of the button pushed. "YOU ARE GOING TO PAY FOR ALL OF THIS, YOU BASTARD! I'LL KILL YOU FOR TAKING MY INNOCENCE AWAY, AND FOR THOSE THINGS YOU SAID SEVEN YEARS AGO! YES, I AM HIDEOUS, BUT IT WAS BECAUSE OF OROCHIMARU!" _And I intend to seek him out if the Leaf Village won't sooner,_ Itachi vowed. Orochimaru was a former member of the Akatsuki, and therefore immensely loathed. Why would Great Leader refuse this, hn?

Time for another trigger. "You cut off all your ties to the village we loved," Itachi dared to say, reaching up to unzip the part of his cloak that concealed the lower half of his face, so his brother could see the smile he now wore, "because it did not give you the needed strength to come and face me...and you couldn't kill Naruto in that manner or even that day at the Final Valley. What happened?"

Black-and-red eyes twitched before looking down at the ground. "I exhausted myself." _Exhausted his chakra, and that was the first time he unleashed the forbidden power. Who would have guessed..._

"It's time you made your next journey to the outside of the Hidden Leaf Village, in concerning of a certain _kunoichi._ Whether you like it or not, I foresee greater danger ahead that you are getting sucked in more than you already have." He could see it all in the other's eyes; Sasuke's barriers were slowly coming down bit by bit, but said certain _kunoichi_ as well as one Naruto Uzumaki was the antidote to this disease that had existed long enough.

~o~

Lady Tsunade's strict words were crystal clear ever since three weeks ago when she and the rest of the team returned to the Leaf Village.

 _You and Naruto are not to be among those I send out after Sasuke Uchiha the next time._

She closed her eyes and tried not to cry when she awoke that morning and padded her way around the apartment she now owned alone. Ino and Sai got married, and her friend moved out with her new husband, so Sakura had the house alone. Not that she minded, but a hollow feeling in her gut was left inside knowing that she wouldn't be able to see Sasuke again. Not since that night; what was also the point in lying to her mentor and Hokage when returning? A full medical examination had been done on her, including her womanhood which was now full-fledged in the name.

Sometimes she would throb down there more than usual ever since then. It wasn't different than younger days, or dreaming, but it had actually _happened_ \- and paradise turned to painful reality as she knew it would, when she and Naruto stood with their team in front of Lady Hokage and delivered their sides. Obviously, she was far from pleased - but in her eyes, when they met with Sakura's, they understood very much.

Sakura had the opportunity to let loose what Sasuke told her, filled in with such bottled up emotion that proved to them all that beneath the animalistic darkness was the same Sasuke they once knew. It had been hard to look into the eyes of the lady who had a onetime affair with her teammate after losing the love of her life, then left, when Sakura begged that the attention be turned to Orochimaru himself. The request wasn't denied, not even when the idiot himself shouted his approval, earning a slap to the forehead from Sakura. Nothing lessened the atmosphere with knowing that Sasuke was still out there, and there was the major problem with his uncontrollable seasonal heat and unknowing who he would take it out on next... _and we have a year to do this..._

Again, that was three weeks ago.

Naruto hopped by her apartment sometimes, but they managed to keep Sasuke out of their mouths, which proved easier said than done. She knew his heart was as hollow as hers, but his wasn't the same level as hers because she'd...

 _Where is he now? If I have to wait until next year to hear about his next strike, then it's done for him. But I hope I hear that he's all right somehow._ She sighed and put her tea to her lips that night, so tired that she wished sleep would come, but it was cruel to let her become an insomniac.

She'd been sick that morning, going on the second day. It hit her out of the blue, and it was a blessing that it didn't hit her at the hospital. Shizune and Ino did notice how pale she appeared, but she'd assured them it might be only a little bug or something - and she hoped to the gods it was. If this went on for a week or more, then she intended to give herself an examination, or better yet ask Tsunade.

It was a little after nine when she was startled just as she was turning the lights out and was tired to her bones. Whirling around, wearing her sleeping kimono printed with water colored flowers and lace, she gasped at the sight of the winged human shape standing outside the glass doors of her balcony. Her heart began to pick up rapidly when green eyes met red-and-black.

 _Sasuke...you came._

~o~

 _When I am done here, Itachi, I'm going back to kill you for this alone._

However, he found that forgetting his brother's words proved easier said than done. But when did he ever shove aside anything Itachi told him for whatever reason?

 _"You saw me and Sakura..."_

 _"Yes, Sasuke. Like I told you, from start to finish, and all these years I have watched over you. I will have another time to repeat myself, but now I will not, stubborn_ otouto. _"_

 _"What have you done, Itachi, observed my other activities in person?!"_

 _"Not every one of them, no. I am not always able to be available. But I have to say that with your recent after the last unfortunate woman...your luck is about to change, Sasuke. Good and bad alike, not devoid of more bumps and edges in the road ahead of you."_

 _"I don't know what your riddles imply, you bastard, but what business is it of yours to pry into my private life that the snake inflicted on me?"_

 _"It's my business because you are still my brother. Now listen to me, or you will be brought back to remember the blood and the pain..."_

He didn't want to endure the Mangekyo again, no longer afraid like a child but simply not wishing to see it all again. So he closed his mouth and listened as Itachi droned - and this time he got Sasuke good and well. The younger Uchiha had been forced to leave his cave afterwards, and big brother as well as Kisame - who had spared him the trouble and offed the tailed ANBU guards for him, letting him be free another day - were with him the entire three weeks that he scoured across the country yet again. He wasn't going to take any chances with the Hokage sending another unit to this part, and he wouldn't be surprised if she forbade Sakura and Naruto from going after him again especially with what happened - especially _Sakura._

Sasuke snorted. Why should he care? It wasn't like it would become something that his mother used to read to him as a child - but then Itachi had to point out the obvious.

 _"You marked her, Sasuke, and that means no other man will touch her but you."_

So this was what Itachi was doing now: set him up with Sakura. It made the younger Uchiha snarl to himself. _This was never his business before; why does he care? I never felt anything but "curing" my body with others who were never missed - and I never allowed them to touch me the way she did..._

It was then and there that Sasuke ultimately came to the conclusion that he, repulsively and shamefully, that he was truly lonely. He did nothing but fly place to place, did unorthodox means to survive, had raw, uncontrollable sex with random but carefully selected individuals whom his dark side had the urge to bite certain parts of their bodies and then let them bleed to death afterwards. A major reason was they would have gone and told people about him. He never let them touch his body, his face, his manhood, or any other area because it stirred too many reactions. But then Sakura Haruno, his annoying petal-haired fangirl and ex-teammate, returned in his life - just as he completed his yearly ritual - but he never had the urge to kill her.

 _When Sakura left, my stomach turned and then widened, hollowing me from inside to out..._

 _Why didn't I KILL her that night?_

 _Why did I feel like I was on cloud nine when I mated with her?_

 _Why did she make me feel so...?_

So many damned questions that gnawed his insides, formulated a terrible malady that he wished he could be cured of, but Itachi hinted there was no cure for whatever it was he was harboring for the legendary Snail Princess's apprentice. Sasuke remembered her strengths improved, also a product of Tsunade. And the way she smashed the earth his way, struck his pride; no one ever did that to him, but SHE did. He would give her credit for that. And the way she boldly took his own sword blade from her side with her bare hands, snapping the pure steel in half...she was willing to _die for him._

The damned dobe did not make this any easier. He had to leap in and interfere as he always did.

 _"You're still the same jerk from the Valley of Death. You should have killed me - but you were too tired to do it, right? Or was it something else...?"_

 _Yes, I was tired. But that was a price I paid for exhausting my chakra. I never saw my transformation coming, damned to look like this for the rest of my life. But as I looked over Naruto, seeing the pain even in his sleeping darkness...I wondered if I made a mistake...I haven't thought of this for years..._

 _"Just like you broke her heart, you are_ KILLING HER! Have you no shame or remorse in that black heart of yours?! YOU ARE NO BETTER THAN THAT SNAKE OR EVEN YOUR BROTHER! _What they reported across the nation about you proves that! And not to mention, the latest girl happened to be a cousin I never knew I had!"_

 _How could I have known Karin was related to you, Naruto? You yourself never knew of her existence._ But it seemed the part when he damned him for being like Orochimaru and Itachi seemed to cut at him the most...

 _You have cut through my heart for the last time, dobe._

 _"You going to let her die because of your selfish reasons? You going to become a true cold-blooded murderer like ITACHI?!"_

 _No, I am NOT Itachi. I never wanted to kill anyone - it was always_ him _I wanted to pierce with my sword. But he always proves superior to me._

 _"Or like Orochimaru who killed the Third Hokage, attacked our home - and made you like THIS?!"_

With this being the last resort, Sasuke Uchiha roared to the sky and flung a series of kunai and shuriken forward into a tree, his blood on fire. Damn it all, _what had he DONE?! WHAT HAD HE BECOME?!_

Once again, Itachi: _"You went to Orochimaru, the man who nearly destroyed our village, the one who murdered his own mentor who happened to also have been Master Jiraiya and Lady Tsunade's - both of whom mentored the only friends you have - and yet you still went to the murderer himself? Fate really plays cruel parts for us...we all choose our paths, Sasuke. But you never were good at rationalizing anything clearly, always were so reckless no matter talking about careful planning. You traded your soul and your humanity for nothing in return. Everything you ever wanted is mere fantasy..."_

 _Open your eyes to what is in front of you..._

Three weeks of fighting his brother, all ending in nothing more than _genjutsu_ dances, and Itachi leaving shadow clones; the real him vanished when Sasuke didn't see it coming. Even with the Sharingan, shadow clones were still sneaky as ever. But each time he ran into Itachi, he felt himself getting stronger if only a little.

 _I_ do _see through_ genjutsu _, but when I am in, I take it down. I'm not a fool now to it._

Now that he thought of the Mangekyo Sharingan, it brought him suddenly back to the night he actually DID read the ancient text in the shrine of the Uchiha, but his anger had the best of him that he never did answer his brother when he should have. The memory of their conversation would have to be for another time. Right now, he was here to focus on something that the elder Uchiha claimed was far more important than him at the present.

 _Home...the place where I should have harnessed myself...but nowhere I went ever gave me what I wanted. I was never anyone but talk. I tried to please Father, Itachi called me weak, Orochimaru used me...I'm nothing but a pawn._

 _I have no purpose. Only dreams - that's what they are at the end of the day. If I turn myself in, a prison cell and maybe another experimental laboratory will be my penance. And what it will do to Sakura..._

He had no trouble hunting her down; in fact, when he returned to his cave to gather what he needed, including his broken blade which Itachi offered to fix for him - he declined, of course - and then Sasuke was graced with a surprise when he arrived at the waterfall, which still smelled of him and Sakura. He caught sight of her broken lace undergarments; her scent remained in them, as well. He scrunched his face up when he _had_ to take a whiff of them...but it was a pleasant sweetness, of musk and a faint hint of floral. It was _HER._ He was tempted to keep them, to remember her, but this wasn't his forte. He knew he had to return them to her even if it meant -

The glass door was opened for him. He'd seen her with her tea, in her soft sleeping kimono, and taking in how...sad she looked. He did not remember seeing this side of her - and it made him melt a little inside. Somehow it reminded him of himself. Now that his memory was jogged, didn't she say that Ino had been her housemate, but now she must have moved out after marrying that Sai character? _She's alone now._ It made things a little easier now that it would be just the two of them...

 _You considered him and the girl an obstacle holding you back. Could it be that you still possess a soft spot?_

"Damn you, Itachi," he'd hissed as he continued to look at her from where he was, on the rooftop of the house across the street. Sakura with her teacup before her lips, on the verge of crying and lost in thought... was she thinking about _him?_

 _I believe my dear brother is right after all: I have TOO soft a spot I never knew I had._

Sasuke willed himself to leap from his position and fly forward, no longer denying it. Sakura Haruno was beautiful to his eyes, but that night they had...it was moreso. He wasn't going too far just yet, but this was good enough for now. He took too many steps with her, let her into his world, and tonight he wanted to spend it in hers. He was tired of being alone for a night or even a day. By morning, he would leave before the Leaf Shinobi spotted him. He might stay on the outside of the Hokage Mountain; there were uncharted caverns there, right? It had been so long since he'd roamed this country.

"Sasuke."

He looked into her eyes, wings retracting into his back for the time being. "Sakura," he responded, ignoring her humble home and keeping his attention on her.

Arms found their way around his shoulders, pulling him close for an embrace he never saw coming. _Oh, Kami -_ His mind was spinning, and his arms were on their own volition as they came around her smaller waist. He shivered when she placed a kiss on his bare shoulder and breathed against it.

"I missed you. I didn't think you would ever come back."

 **So, now Sasuke is slowly coming apart in a positive way, but it's still far from over. Let's see what happens now with another night between him and Sakura. ;D Stay tuned.**


	13. Night Music

Chapter Twelve

Night Music

 _He's here...in my arms...oh, Kami, you're on our side._

"I missed you," she managed. "I didn't think you would ever come back."

He returned the gesture around her waist, but it wasn't painfully tight or desperate. "I didn't think I would, either. To be blunt, it was at my brother's insistence." She clenched her fists; so it was _Itachi_ to persuade his younger brother to come back, to her. He did not want to see Naruto. Come to think of it, she didn't want their loudmouthed friend to blurt it out for the whole village to hear. She just wanted tonight with Sasuke.

Sakura gently pulled away while keeping her arms around his shoulders. "You know you shouldn't be here," she reminded him. "Suppose ANBU or any of the others -" He grunted once and gently tightened his hold on her hips.

"I made damned sure of it. No one saw me come. There's hardly anyone in the streets. It's only me."

"What about your brother?" she asked through her teeth.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Itachi is not my concern. He's nowhere near the village, but he has the nerve every now and then to meddle in my affairs. He's watched me from the shadows for the last several years," he said, with a hint of anger, causing her to let him go. A slight breeze made her remember the balcony door was opened, so she turned from him to close it and lock, then pulled the curtains over to hide them from unseen watchful eyes.

But when she did, she remembered how dark it was and she was getting ready for bed. But what was the harm in losing an hour or so of sleep when her lover - _wait, I said "lover"?_ \- flicked on the nearest lamp behind them, smirking to one corner of his mouth. "I disrupted your bed time," he said dryly. "Maybe it was bad timing after all."

She shook her head rapidly - or maybe it was desperate. "No! I can afford a loss of a couple hours - but I guess that depends how long you plan to be here," she said, reaching behind to rub the back of her neck nervously. He showed no emotion, making the air a little tense. It was broken by his signature "hn".

"I don't plan to be here for long. I came only because of Itachi."

That made her feel sad. _Don't you have a part inside you that was thinking about ME?_ she wanted to ask, but that might not go well. "Why is he sticking his nose into our business, anyway?" Sakura asked as she turned to walk away, deciding that like last time, they would make this last while it could. But things were going to be a little different now. The leftover tea was still in its kettle on the stove. "You want some tea?"

He had followed her and sat down at the table, looking at the polished wooden surface, leaning forward and watching her with one arm bent and the nails tapping the table out of habit. His silence was her answer; why did she have to ask him? Biting her lip, she turned her back to him and took a clean mug from the cupboard above to fill it with the still-hot amber liquid. She brought it over and placed it in front of him. Something told her he hadn't eaten yet, or was she wrong?

"Did you eat before you came?" Sakura asked, swallowing as she watched his throat bob a little as he downed the drink, no longer looking at her but towards nothing ahead in particular. He finished in two great gulps before exhaling with satisfactory.

"A satisfactory amount of sushi that brother dearest concocted for me during one of his and Kisame's trips," Sasuke stated, putting the mug down in front of him. "It's been awhile since I had something I truly liked..." The way he licked his lips...

Sakura quickly stood up. _There's one thing I can make for him._ She was going to get more groceries after work tomorrow anyway. "That calls for something else made by me alone that you loved so much," she declared with a beam, whirling back around to the fridge and getting out the ingredients. He was still watching her, but she wasn't bothered. She had the idea of pairing this with the leftovers she'd made earlier.

"This is going to be worth all that hunt you've had in years." _If all he's had is wild animals, fruit and vegetables, then he needs REAL cooking by a woman's hand now._

He sniffed. "I wonder."

The stovetop to the bottom right was turned on, the saucepan lapped with butter, giving it a few minutes to heat up while she sliced up the couple tomatoes. Sasuke caught on and shifted in his chair. "Tomatoes...you remember," he noted, and from the corner of her eye, she caught the wry smile.

Sakura returned the smile. "Why would I forget one of your favorite foods?" she countered playfully. She let the slices simmer on the stove while she took out the leftover rice and chicken to pop into the microwave. "Wasn't this ever one of your taken specialties besides that other kill of yours?"

He sighed. "I wish," was all he said. There was an underlying of... _loneliness_ in that tone of his. That wasn't easy to fake. Had Itachi been putting some sense into him or what? _Whatever that bastard said, it must be doing a better job than Naruto and I would ever do to him._

When she was done cooking, she dumped the roasted tomatoes in the empty space beside the seasoned chicken and fried rice, bringing the dish over to him. She then took his empty mug and was about to ask him if he wanted a refill when he seemed to read her mind and nod. She could use another herself, hearing the sound of utensils as he began to devour. He really WAS that hungry. She almost laughed, coming out as a giggle in spite of herself as she returned with both refilled mugs.

"Have I said something funny?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"Nope. Just that I didn't realize you were starving that much," she said honestly. "You really could use some real homemade cooking once in a while now."

He was swallowing a piece of chicken when he answered. "Tempting offer. It would be a matter of time before I was caught on," he reminded her, picking up his fork to put a tomato into his mouth. He moaned at the salty sweetness, closing his eyes to relish. The sight somewhat turned her on. It was then and there that his brows furrowed. "You're not eating?"

"I ate earlier before you came," Sakura answered with a sip of tea. "How is it?"

"Good." The simple word made her inner self more annoyed than she was. _**Oooh, can't he just come out and say more than one word, once in a while?!**_ "How are things with the Hokage?"

He was attempting to make small talk now, especially after his outbursts, which surprised her, but she was happy to talk. "Fine as they can be. Although..." She let her eyes drop. "...Naruto and I were strictly instructed to not go after you in the near future," she admitted. "Lady Tsunade's orders after what I told her that you told me." She put her mug down, keeping her fingers around the handle to alleviate some of her anxiety at his response. His lack of a physical response was so unnerving; you never knew if he would explode out of proportion.

Sasuke was just finishing up his rice portion when he looked up at her after a few minutes of silence. "Well, it seems Lady Hokage is right - you and Naruto must keep your distance from me. Especially after last time."

 _Here we go again._

"Sasuke," she said through her teeth, "you're judging yourself hard again. You're saying that because you don't deserve us - that you deserve no one. Admit it again."

He looked her square in the eyes again. "Sakura...my heart is black as hell," he said quietly, obviously weary to his bones that they were back to this. She reached across the table and took one of his hands into hers. His dish was about cleared save for the chicken bones.

"No, it's not, Sasuke," she insisted firmly. "You say that like you always had it, but you know you never did."

"Look into my eyes then, Sakura," he said breathily, leaning across the table, which wasn't that wide enough to separate them both. It gave her the advantage to shift forward, elevating her backside from her seat as he had done, so she was inches away from his face. Those black oculars with blazing red irises...they were the eyes of a demon at first glance. But if you cared to gaze into their depths, you would see a myriad of agony, anger and hate - endless suffering and a question of how to attempt to alleviate it. Their owner claimed it was too late for him, but she did not believe it at all, just like Naruto never did.

Sasuke's voice had dropped to a husk, ending up that way when he tried once more to intimidate her. _And in my own home? Not a chance._ "What do you see, hn?"

What else was there to say? "What I saw when we were kids," Sakura answered calmly. "The anger, hate and rage, caused by someone you loved and looked up to, thought would never betray you but took away everything you loved - but I also see a determined fire that we all have." _The Will of Fire._ "There isn't anyone in the world without the Will of Fire, Sasuke." She inched back by one.

"You have too much of what Naruto and I don't have. I grew up with two loving parents and friends, he never had anyone but still turned out to be a wonderful person - and you?" she pointed out. "You had it all but lost it. You shut us all away so you could try and destroy the pain, try and rebuild what you lost...but it hasn't happened. Someone else saw what you desired from the bottom of your heart and manipulated you. He turned you into something else entirely. He took you away from me..."

This time it was just her alone. Leave Naruto and the others out of this. It was HER heart affected on another level, not the way Naruto loved him as a best friend, brother and rival. She was doing this because she _loved him._ She wanted him to see that. If this was what would do the trick, then she'd give it all she had before he left her once again. It might be even longer than the last few weeks, maybe months, if - and that was a big "if" - she saw him again.

"Sakura -" he started, but she silenced him by leaning forward and placing her lips over his.

~o~

 _Sweet Kami..._

Here he was in her kitchen, enjoying a real sumptuous meal for the first time in years, consisting of her leftovers along with his favorite tomatoes and her special herbal tea - he felt like he was in heaven and wanted more, but he had to pace himself if he didn't want an upset stomach. He didn't regret his decision coming here - yet. He didn't realize how hungry he was besides the sushi Itachi made for him and brought to him while he'd been staying near Amegakure the last few weeks, just because of brother dearest. Itachi insisted that he remain close so he could "test" his little brother further. Each time he said the death date would be put off, the worse Sasuke's infuriation got.

But, it seemed, the more time he spent with his brother and tormentor, it somehow took him back to those times he used to spend with Itachi before ANBU took him away - and then Itachi's mind snapped and he took out their entire clan.

There was one thing that made it worthwhile: he saw through _genjutsu,_ he took out the shadow clones well - and there was one time he did get Itachi with the Shadow Shuriken Jutsu, a trick he did learn from Orochimaru. He remembered cracking a grin when he watched his _aniki_ pull out the shattered metal lodged into the back end of his thigh. He should have been able to dodge that attack...it was enough to earn a real appraisal from the brother who called him weak all his life.

"You have...gotten stronger," Itachi had said, looking up at him whilst applying enough pressure to his bleeding, injured area. Sasuke then took him back to his hiding place not far away from Akatsuki headquarters, which was close enough for Itachi and Kisame's range to make sure he was staying out of trouble. He sneered at them; he'd survived without either of them for ten years. What made his brother think he could treat him like a child again? _A wild one, at that._

When his former team left - and Sakura with them - he settled back into his lonely life, falling asleep at the end of the day and reliving that night while sometimes having a random vision of her naked body dancing before him, enveloped in anything that graced her silhouette but changed at random: one dream would have some kind of fairy dust to make her flesh and hair sparkle along with her eyes, another would have a sheer scarf whispering against her, and often it would be nothing at all but her natural self. Either way, all of them would wake him up aroused and growling with frustration. Sometimes Sasuke would fly out of his resting place to the nearest spring or waterfall rather than touch himself.

 _"Foolish_ otouto _, ask yourself what a night with the woman who claimed to love you as a child would do to not only her mind and heart, but her soul as well? You're aware of this, but why don't you start thinking about another instead of yourself and stooping low to listen to the pain that eats you away?"_

There was one word, and it was one she'd made loud and clear that he'd brushed off because of his well-placed barriers over his heart of ice, or was it stone? They were both of his own making, and both seemed indestructible - but he felt either the stone cracking, or the ice melting around the edges. It was a word he had not used in years because it was _raped_ from him.

Sasuke found himself deepening the kiss. As much as his pride feared admitting it, because the slightest misstep could break everything down to ruin, her kiss and the smell of her as well as her company in itself made him realize that he'd missed her more than he thought.

Aniki, _that word you are implying...is_ love.

His lips tingled and burned with the contact of hers, the sweet taste coming over his senses and reaching his buds. His body was stirring, the heat slowly rising. He had to break it off and take a few breaths of air. His lungs were burning with his pumping blood, and so was his heart. He looked down at the sound of dishes beneath him; he had moved further onto the table when he deepened the kiss, on the verge of knocking the dirty plate and utensils onto the floor. Quickly composing himself, he picked them and his empty mug up and handed them to her without looking at her in the eyes.

"I'm sorry," he muttered, though his mind was erupting. _Why did you say that, fool? You enjoyed it, like last time..._

He knew it all in her tone of voice. "Sasuke, I know you feel like you can't control yourself - but you did that night," she said softly as she tossed the bones and remnants into the trash can before cleansing the dishes in the sink. Hot steam rose into the air. "Though I'm worried about next year, because we both know you can't..."

"I've been thinking about that myself," Sasuke bit in, refusing to think about it. "Itachi said he'd help me. I loathe him so much, but he's all I have right now. I refuse to be in the Akatsuki, but somehow they allowed him to come to me on occasion to bring me food and 'train' me."

Sakura turned to raise an eyebrow. "Train you?" she repeated. "I thought Orochimaru did that already."

"Enough, yes. But with Itachi...I actually feel myself getting as strong as I must." _Before I one day kill him for sure. I feel all hope is not lost after all. I may thank him for allowing a small ounce of light to come, but it will NOT change everything he did to me and our clan._

"We're turning our attention to Orochimaru now," Sakura said when she returned to him after drying the dishes in comfortable silence which he appreciated, but the glow in her eyes was dull with sadness as if reflecting on a somber memory, "but I think my lady is going through a harder time than anyone else should know." Sasuke snorted; what could he say? The snake did tell him once he and the Snail Princess were once teammates. "And Sasuke? I should not be telling you this - because of my lady's interests - but she and Orochimaru were -"

"Teammates and partners, I know," he said sternly, narrowing his eyes, but she wasn't fazed.

"I was going to say that when she lost the love of her life who inspired her to become the Fifth Hokage, they had...a night together. Like, she needed someone there for her before she left the village."

Sasuke swallowed. Of all the things...he knew better than to assume his old sensei would tell him this bit of information. She wasn't lying; he could smell it off her as well as see it in her eyes. She hadn't lied to him EVER; why would her sensei, too?

 _This is uncomfortable for me. It's too similar to..._ us. _Just everything..._

But that did not mean she had to have a reason for telling him this. "Sakura...why did you tell me this now?" he asked slowly. She sighed.

"I felt you deserved to know. Tsunade-Sensei is like a mother to me, and when we both matched the sample we found in Karin Uzumaki -" He cringed at the name. "- I lost it. I thought a part of me died to know it was you, and she was there for me. She confided in me about her and Orochimaru...and I thought of asking her if she ever loved him the way I still love you, I didn't want to push the wrong button. Because how can you...love someone who did terrible things to innocent people and the village you love?" she asked when she locked eyes with him.

Sasuke closed his eyes on the words, closed his heart to them because he heard enough to last a lifetime.

 _Whoever thought that love can make you do stupid things?_

He stood up then and there, unable to hold it all off any longer. He had to leave, but not without one more thing. He would not tell her anything else of the Akatsuki - his brother included - deciding on the hunt for Orochimaru. As far as he was concerned, he was done being a fool to think they could care about changing him back to being a human if they got a hold of the Snake Sage, and the same went for this village he once called home. He might be accepted only by this woman before him and the dobe, but he would always be an outsider.

"I sometimes wondered the same," he said softly when he was right in front of her, trapping her to the sink. She swallowed, the bob in her small throat visible enough, the sight arousing him. "I wonder why you still love me despite everything..."

She leaned up and kissed him again, this time over his chest, where his heart was beating. He sighed; how could she do these things to him? He ought to feel repulsed, but his body and mind disagreed altogether. Her hands caressed the front of his form, then went around to his back. "I don't know. It is what it is, I guess."

"Hn. If that is the case..." He waited long enough. Sasuke picked her up then, wrapping her legs around his waist and carrying her out, not before pausing by the nearby light switch when she asked him to. The kitchen lights were off, and she guided him in the direction of her bedroom. He dropped her onto the bed and looked down her form, licking his lips at the sight of her gown riding up to expose her thighs, pausing at the tops if covering where he'd devoured and mated with her, tasted her blood and marked every inch of her.

 _Mine._

He undid the purple rope and let his modest covering fall to the carpet for her eyes. He then leaned over and did the honors at the same time she sat up, taking both his hands into hers briefly. He furrowed his brows, watching as she kissed the back of each hand before letting them go. He untied the sash and opened the silken fabric to expose her glory to him. _Now that I think about it, she's nothing physically compared to Karin and the others..._

"...let's make some night music," Sasuke finished, his voice nothing more than a growl to his own ears, and it made her flesh visibly crawl. The faint night light streaming in on them illuminated the scars that remained on her hips; when she slid onto her knees and brought him down on the edge of the bed for closer contact, another embrace, and his clawed hands roamed over her small back, feeling the scratches from his own nails that healed but hadn't faded yet. Maybe they never would, just as the dark pink hickey on the left side of her neck never faded. Sasuke smirked when he took this in, keeping his eyes on his work there as he leaned down to lavish attention upon both breasts, pleased that despite their smaller-than-average shape she was provoked with his pleasure, then leaned to that crook of her neck and shoulder to gently nibble the mark, drawing a shuddering gasp from his woman, and licking it.

"These marks you still have," he purred, breathing against her flesh, "mean you are all mine." He took this hickey back into his mouth and sucked as firmly as he would go, reminding her. "No one else touches you but me, Sakura."

"No," she agreed, her soft nails gently scratching his back, returning the pleasantry. He sighed into her touch, wheezing like the animal in heat he was. His need burned against hers; he could feel the dark wet heat down there and knew she wanted him now, wanted him to take her here and now into the night before they would part once again.

~o~

Hinata was sound asleep beside him, but he lay awake, gazing at her sweet face as his mind was troubled with his own thoughts. He was beyond livid that they couldn't go back after Sasuke, but Granny Tsunade was loud and clear that they would get him. Who said it would be easy, huh? _That perverted snake...Itachi...the Akatsuki..._

 _Glad she did agree to go after that rotten bastard. He'll deserve whatever he gets if we get him, never mind he's one of the legendary Sannin like the old lady and Pervy Sage. Just you wait, Orochimaru!_

He knew Sakura was down in the dumps over this. He knew what happened between her and Sasuke even long before she up and confessed to her Hokage-Sensei in front of him, Kakashi-Sensei, Captain Yamato and Sai, and it had been a month now. Plus, one thing made him frown: she said she'd been ill in the mornings for the last couple days. Was she coming down with a flu or something and was doing her best to tough it out? Was it because of Sasuke?

Naruto shut his eyes when sleep finally came for him, and he turned into his baby's embrace when she murmured and snuggled into him. Love...this was real love here. Though he loved Sakura enough to let her continue her painful pursuit of Sasuke, he didn't understand why she'd give her heart to a bastard who hurt them all - but _her_ the most.

 **Don't you all just love a complicated but somewhat realistic, mature relationship growing? I've had so much fun with these two that it isn't funny. :)**


	14. Why is Love a Pain?

**I don't need to elaborate when I say things get hotter in here, and really extend to the bigger problems for our characters. ;)**

Chapter Thirteen

Why is Love a Pain?

Awaking, sunlight was shining on his face. His eyes snapped open at once. He swore when he saw that morning had broken. He was late; he should have been out of here when he had the chance.

"Damn it, Sakura," he growled when he saw she wasn't around, "why didn't you wake me?!"

It was then and there that Sasuke assessed his situation. He was laying in a _bed_ \- a real bed, on a soft mattress and covered with blankets, his body feeling like it had undergone a spa treatment instead of the sitting upright and curling his wings around himself as he'd lived for the last several years, nor was it in chains by Orochimaru. He was laying free and comfortable, without a care - but that would soon change when reality kicked in and he recalled last night's events.

 _Sakura and I..._

He stared up at the ceiling, relishing the solitude and automatically assuming she'd left him. If she had gone to the hospital or to the Hokage herself, then she wasn't dumb enough to not leave a note which he would soon hunt for, but then he heard the sound of water being turned off. She was still here. Sasuke looked over his exposed chest; the covers had ridden down to his waistline. His insides tingled with the images of being with Sakura for a second time. Just how was he supposed to deal with next year, when there might not be a third time for them?

Sitting up and stretching, Sasuke sighed when he felt his joints pop as his muscles and bones relaxed. This wasn't going to last. If he didn't get going now, the Leaf Shinobi would catch him in broad daylight and set to follow him, or even ANBU. Yet he had to ask himself another question: _but WHY do I feel like I shouldn't care? Look at me, look where I am now - and look at_ her.

Sakura stood in front of him, dressed and still drying her hair out with a towel. She gave him a little smile, her cheeks flushed, when she looked over him once and then back to his face; he realized he forgot to cover his nudity. "My shower is yours if you want it," she offered. "And then I can make you some breakfast before I leave?"

He did not know what to make of what was happening now. "I should have left sooner," he said instead, looking down at his fallen garments and then twitched when he glimpsed what he remembered to bring back with him. _Sakura's underwear. I must give it to her as soon as possible._

"You can stay here, just for today. I got any entertainment you want, but I have to get more groceries when I get off. Though I do still have enough left in the fridge today..." She realized she was rambling and paused there, her blush deepening. Somehow he found it all amusing instead of annoying. He smirked when he walked by her, deciding he did need a cleaning up.

"Anything is better than nothing."

As he passed her, his eyes caught sight of a familiar framed picture on the surface of her vanity - _Team Seven...of course she'd be as sentimental as the dobe._ His mouth muscles twitched, wanting to sneer, but his will didn't allow it. He ignored it now and hurried for the bathroom. And as soon as he stepped in, his body reacted and spilled the guttural groans through his throat when he realized how LONG it had been since he had a hot, decent shower instead of in a spring or waterfall, or being sprayed in a cage.

~o~

She cooked up a few cinnamon buns because she wasn't that hungry, and she sprinkled them with brown sugar when they were done, but when she set them down on the table, she remembered she left her boots in the bedroom. Walking back there, she almost tripped on something that was left on the floor. Looking down, she saw Sasuke's fallen wrap and belt. Scowling, she shook her head and picked them up to lay on the foot of the bed for him.

 _Really, he needs more clothes. He can't go walking around half-naked forever. I don't even know how he managed Snow Country or anywhere frigid at any time of the year..._

Sasuke was just finishing up his shower. She heard the water turn off. He'd take quite awhile in there, and from the moans and growls which sounded almost sexual, it told her he hadn't bathed in decent water in so many years. He deserved it now.

But when she picked up his garb, she quickly saw something fall to the carpet. Something soft and peach...she gawked and gasped at what it was. _My broken underwear - I wondered if they'd still be around!_ The heat returned to her cheeks. _Oh, my gods, why did he have to do this to me by bringing them all the way back here?!_

 _ **Billboard, he probably got a smell of you after you left.**_ She cringed at the idea; that happened to be one of the weirdest and most embarrassing things to ever think about.

 _God...what must he think..._

"I thought you would want them back, even if they are beyond repair," Sasuke said, announcing himself when he set foot dried but naked into her room to pick up his minimal covering. She couldn't look at him. "A part of me considered keeping them just for myself." Oh, that bastard was doing this to her on purpose. Suddenly, her stomach lurched, but it wasn't from his words.

"I made breakfast on the table," she said quickly, turning and dashing past him to throw up nothing in particular but bile into the toilet. She did this a few more times before she was fine. She needed some orange juice or something fast. Tea could only do so much.

Sasuke was watching her intently when she padded into the kitchen with her boots on now. "Are you all right, Sakura?" He was picking piece by piece from his roll, raising an eyebrow as he waited for her answer. She nodded and joined him, before looking at the clock. She had half an hour left.

"Been sick the last three days. It's probably just a mild flu."

"Hn."

Even for his short answers, he seemed to still care, and that was good enough. She snarfed down her roll and juice before standing and moving to grab her things. "I'll see you later." She didn't need to tell him to not get into trouble; he might be a beast outwardly, but he was still a human being. And a grown man at that.

The day was smooth, with no serious threats to any patients, surprisingly - but in terms of her sickness, she was suddenly hit when it was time for lunch. This did not go unnoticed by Shizune and Ino. Well, it was bound to be found out sooner or later. Sakura was a grown woman; she could deal with this. But she didn't even know what was wrong...

"Sakura, it's been three days," Shizune was telling her when the pink-haired woman was done, concerned in more ways than one. "Maybe the three of us should take a look at you real quick..."

"This way." Ino led them into a currently unoccupied room; her schedule had been cleared for another hour, so this was an opportunity. She sat in the patient's chair with the dark-haired woman chewing her lip thoughtfully as she got out the tools, being the one to ask her the questions and the likes.

How long had she been throwing up? "Three days."

Did she eat anything unusual? "Not at all. I always watch my diet," Sakura answered calmly, rubbing her abdomen in small circles.

When was her last period? That question hit her the most; she asked for the calendar in the room, remembering the day well, but when she did the math... _oh, God, I am over a month late. Way over than usual._ The sweat began to break out from her forehead. Ino and Shizune noticed this and shared a glance, both sharing the same idea as she was.

"I'm going to get it," Ino announced standing and vanishing for a few moments. "I got one of my own..."

Sakura was alone with a narrow-eyed Shizune who knew about the truth along with Lady Tsunade, but she didn't ask. Her expression softened when they noticed the solemn air around the younger _kunoichi._ "Maybe it's only a false alarm, Sakura," she tried to assure her, "and maybe it's too early to tell..." She didn't get the chance to finish when the blonde woman returned with what she had in case she and Sai ever got lucky.

She took it in the privacy of the narrow restroom adjacent...and her stomach and heart dropped along with her entire inner body, almost throwing up again. "Oh, God," she moaned, closing her eyes and stinging with tears.

She was going to have a baby.

~o~

He watched her from the treetops in this part of her village, leaving Kisame alone at the inn not far away in the mountains, claiming he had matters to settle. He knew Sasuke was staying with her, but it would be very soon before he would once more run into dearest big brother. Itachi was counting on it, because he intended to see that this was not shattered beyond repair.

 _So...it is done. I see it in her eyes. She is afraid._

Of course he _did_ anticipate it, but his brother and the _kunoichi_ would have to accept this responsibility. He himself wouldn't take this child under his wing, not because he didn't want to, but because of his status in the S-rank Bingo Book. That child would not be condemned with him or its father. He did not know the solid answer as to its mother's decision, not unless he asked Haruno-chan herself. Which was precisely why he was here.

He watched her make her trip to the market with help from what appeared to be her blonde friend, whom he noted was married - newlywed, perhaps? She could not be any older or younger than Haruno-chan. The two women bade good evening to each other before he sought his chance to tail Sasuke's lover and mother of his child on her way home, where less people were coming. He damned well would make it out of here by nightfall if that was the last thing.

Sasuke had fared well without her for the entirety of the day; Itachi did visit him through the balcony window which he'd opened and let his big brother in if only for a few moments. Safe to say that the younger still wasn't pleased, but Itachi had important news to give Sasuke that he and Kisame uncovered in the last few weeks without his knowledge until now, but he couldn't tell him here. It would have to be by nightfall when he would leave his prize for a longer amount of time.

Now he stood before the woman with groceries in her hand. She looked upon him with fiery green eyes and a clenched jaw. "Itachi Uchiha," she hissed. "You thought you could torment your brother some more by coming onto me, am I right? Or are you going to torture me for Naruto?" She was trying his patience, and he wouldn't let her. Calmly, he denied it.

"Sakura Haruno, I have no intention to lift a finger to you."

"That comes from a man who slayed his own clan and cursed his own little brother," she countered heatedly, "but you have the balls to come back here, waste your time trying to help your brother when he doesn't need you anymore - but you better have a damned good reason to come to ME."

Itachi chuckled. Sasuke couldn't have had a better choice in a mate, even if it was star-crossed in the sense. "I know about the child," he told her, getting right to the point when they started walking in the direction of her apartment complex.

"Your Sharingan saw it, did it?" Sakura spat, looking at him from the corner of her eye. "You plan to take it for your plans, whatever they are?" _She has every reason to doubt me this much._

"No such intentions," Itachi answered. "Why should I take away Sasuke's child - and speaking of which, do you intend to tell my brother now that you know?" He smiled slightly, knowing the answer to this. "Or is it that you fear his response that it is too soon, and he could always plea with you to remove it even if you choose to keep it? I know deep down that you want this child as it is what you have of him. I may not be your favorite human being, nor do I deserve to be, but I am doing this for the both of you, if you don't recall. That child is my niece or nephew - and another key to pulling my brother from the darkness he still resides."

He saw that she needed help taking a bag in so she could open the door. He took one, curiosity getting the best of him and seeing eggs at the bottom along with more tomatoes and bread. He frowned, wondering why she let him take the smaller weight while she carried the heavier one. She still had enough strength left. She opened the door to her home and let him in with her. Sasuke was sitting on the sofa reading a book, but he closed it and hid it beneath a pillow when the woman herself came home - and his eyes narrowed dangerously at the sight of the man he hated most in the universe.

"What the hell are you doing back here, Itachi?"

"Little brother," he answered smoothly, sharing a look with the weary-eyed Sakura, "perhaps we should all have a small dinner before parting ways - but alas, this comes something of...grave importance to discuss."

~o~

 _"I have to go."_ That was all he said when she told him she was pregnant with his child, with Itachi at her side. She was far from happy when the elder Uchiha had the balls to come to her when the day was ending, when she was heading home, and already knew she was with child. _Sasuke's child._

A child he clearly didn't want, and that hurt worse than his words.

Itachi had said it was of grave importance, and it was all of that. The conversation continued to play over and over in her head for the next week, and each morning she was ill intensified as she recalled every word and lost her appetite that night, but Itachi had stayed with her even when his brother shut himself away in the closet, refusing to come out for the rest of the night as long as she was cooking when she didn't feel like it.

 _"Go on and tell him, Haruno-chan." Damn Itachi for this._

 _"Tell me what, hn?"_

Neither of them seemed to truly understand how hard this was for her as it had been for him. _"I've been sick the last few days because...I'm pregnant, Sasuke."_ To look him in the eyes when she told him made her stomach roll again, her appetite for the dinner she'd planned to make gone at once when the fire flared in the red of his eyes. It was like fire burning from the darkest pits of hell.

 _"I see."_ That was all he said, and a long silence followed, before Itachi broke it.

 _"I suppose it is an ill wish for me to state that this was an issue you would have avoided with the other unfortunate girls in the past,_ otouto. _But nevertheless, what has been done is done. The two of you will not face this alone."_ She'd found herself looking at him now, shocked at finally hearing the sincerity of his words. Itachi Uchiha, the man who butchered his own people but spared his little brother to suffer, joined a criminal organization, had stood in her own home before her and his brother, the father of the child she was carrying, and claimed he was putting his foot down to be the middle man for them. But even that did nothing for Sasuke's foul mood he failed to hide. That was when he announced he was leaving, but not before he shut himself away in the closet.

Sasuke had never done something like that before, and a small part of her had thought it was childish, which his _aniki_ called him out on when he tried to pry his way in, with no success, making him sigh heavily and return to her. Sakura tried to busy herself when she unloaded the groceries, all the meat and the eggs, bread and vegetables, but the nice meal for three wasn't up to par anymore.

"It's been some ages since I have had a decent dinner made by a woman's hand," Itachi had said casually as he sat at the table, respecting her space, but that did not lessen her irritation and her nerves. "My brother should be grateful that someone cares for him. I wondered why you and the Kyuubi vessel were so fixated on him for years, but I want to still hear it from your own lips - or I may know the answer already." By the sound of it, he _did_ know.

"I love him," Sakura had answered sharply. "But it's not enough for him, is it?"

Itachi had sighed. "It appears so. I've failed him as a brother in more ways than one, but he is too hardened like stone to cut me the slightest amount of slack, Sakura. He's grown into an angry man who lives for himself. Now that he will not come out for awhile, perhaps I should let you in on a handful of secrets..." She'd frowned, turning her face halfway to let him know she was still listening. "A long time ago, I was the prodigy of our clan. When war broke, I was placed on the battlefield and watched numerous friends and comrades be dismembered and willingly sacrificed themselves for the village and for those on the frontlines who would live to tell the tale; I was one of them. I was not even eight when I graduated from the Academy, and thirteen when ANBU took me on as their captain. I never even dreamed of making a path for myself, always allowing my father and others around me lay my life's plan for me. I never knew who I was or what I truly wanted, but as we both know, a Shinobi's sole purpose is his village and his people.

"Sasuke, my beloved little brother who became my only light in the darkness that consumed my soul, was the first living being I truly loved besides my mother and best friend Shisui - but this is where I must cut it off. There are dark secrets that Konoha's elders, including the Third Hokage who was against it all but was overruled, are keeping. I am on the path I am now because of it, all for Sasuke, and my reasons for killing our family and clansmen were orders not of my own choice. I had the worst choice to make, and I made it on one condition: that Sasuke be spared. Danzo agreed, but only if I..." He'd paused there, and Sakura felt her sinking heart tighten worse than it was. Years of experience reminded her nothing was without a price, but even costs did not always necessarily mean simply killing another; it also meant handing over your body...

 _Itachi allowed himself to sleep with Danzo just before the massacre of the Uchiha clan. All for Sasuke, the baby brother he loved more than anything..._

Now her stomach began to roll with unwanted images in her brain.

To look into the man's eyes, this rogue of the Hidden Leaf Village, and seeing the hardened ice glazing over emotionless onyx orbs...for the first time she saw humanity that was slipping through despite his lifetime of lost innocence. He was never innocent from the day he was born and tried to ensure his younger brother was nothing like him - all of it ending in failure. For the first time, Sakura Haruno saw Itachi Uchiha as the big brother who did the best he could, even if it meant giving up his own humanity and soul.

He and Sasuke were not that different after all. _Only Sasuke does not see that. He sees himself inferior and wants to surpass his brother - even if to kill him._

"My death by his hands will be the final card," Itachi had said grimly, tired to his bones. "Too many years of watching him and honing him from afar...I'm tired of this."

Sakura put his dinner down in front of him, which he accepted with a tired, grateful smile that she returned only to feel her hormones get out of control and weep, unable to control herself. His response she never expected: he leaned over and took her chin into a couple fingers, placing a tender, chaste kiss to her forehead. It was by no means flirtatious or insulting, but she was still offended and pulled back. "What the hell was that for?! Just because I listened to you does not mean -" He silenced her with his thumb to her lips.

"Shush, Sakura-chan." His chuckle was deep and brief. "I assure you, I have no intentions of touching what belongs to my brother."

"Then what was it for?"

"To comfort you, nothing more. Must I elaborate, or have I made myself clear enough?"

When Sasuke finally came out of the closet, it was late in the night. He refused to eat, but she did leave his dish on the table for him, even after Itachi left them alone, promising her he would watch over her as he would his brother - with both eyes as often as he would spare. "From the shadows, I shall assist with the hunt for Orochimaru," he'd sworn before taking off into the night. If Sasuke heard, then he was standing on his pride and keeping himself bottled up. Even when Sakura was cleaning and changing for the night, she thought about opening the door for her new set of clothes before deciding it would only make things worse, but she did do one thing in telling him what time it was before slipping into bed and turning her back when he opened the door.

There were no words exchanged when he looked her way, the obvious dilemma present in which he wondered if he should say some parting words or at least his own form of an apology for his lack of enthusiasm that he was going to be a father - how could he be? They both knew that this would not be like the other normal, happy families in the village. _But at least he didn't tell me to get an abortion._ Sakura had her time then and there to begin gathering her thoughts as she heard him roam around, eating his dinner cold and uncaring before opening her balcony door so he could take off into the night - but not before he called over to her, low but loud enough for her hearing.

"Good bye, Sakura...for now."

She closed her eyes and pulled the covers up, feeling cold and afraid. If there was one thing she would do since the beginning, it was to go to Lady Tsunade, her sensei and the woman who was like a mother to her.

 **I struggled with Sasuke's response to learning about the unexpected pregnancy, for obvious reasons, but don't worry, things won't stay as they are. Meanwhile, Sakura has her own problems to deal with, so the suspense has only grown...**


	15. The Hardest Decisions Made in Life

**Just to warn you all, there is a VERY disturbing flashback of when Sasuke first received his very first mating partner after going to Orochimaru, and it will make you puke if the early moment between him and Karin didn't. : & Don't say I didn't warn you. **

Chapter Fourteen

The Hardest Decisions Made in Life

"...I see."

First Sasuke, now her mentor. She lowered her eyes in shame. No protection had been used, but then again, both she and Sasuke never thought a second go between them would happen, but that first and only time before had been it. And it wasn't like they expected THIS, but getting pregnant was getting pregnant, and it was never planned like carved in stone or written on paper.

"You're disappointed in me, my lady," Sakura whispered, ashamed in herself and unable to meet the older ninja's eyes. Tsunade heaved a heavy sigh.

"Normally I'd say yes, but it's an overstatement. But you do realize that you have a decision to make."

"And I gave it some thought," she answered, keeping a hand over her stomach. "But I don't know how to do it alone..." Now she looked up to meet calculating amber eyes. "People are going to ask me questions, and if they know it was Sasuke -"

"- they'll call you a backstabber," Tsunade finished for her with a brief nod. Beside her, Shizune looked worriedly on with TonTon oinking nervously. "Yes, some will, but your friends won't. However, for the time being, you must keep this quiet, at least until you are no longer able to physically hide your condition." The Hokage drummed her fingers on the desk surface whilst pondering further, leaving Sakura to her own uncomfortable train of thought.

 _She's right. If I am to keep this baby, it means big changes in my life. I don't have anyone to help me raise it besides Naruto and the others, and my lady, but when this gets out, people will ask who the father is..._

Tsunade then tapped the surface of her desk and beckoned the pink-haired woman forward. Swallowing, Sakura walked forth and bowed her head just out of respect. Then she turned to her aide. "Shizune, you can go assist Ino in the emergency ward," she ordered blandly, and the dark-haired woman could not refuse. Setting TonTon down, she gave Sakura a small smile before leaving. At least that smile reassured her she wasn't alone. But this was a serious talk to have with her sensei who had closed her eyes for a moment. The air was stiff and riddled with anxiety; she didn't care if it was hormones or not. She didn't feel relaxed in the slightest. Never mind she was a Medical Ninja; she was going to be a mother.

"However, there are only a small handful we know you can entrust with this."

"My lady?" She looked at the Snail Princess with some shock swelling, knowing one person to come to mind, but who else?

Tsunade smiled slightly. "You know one in particular, and I was suggesting Ino and Hinata Hyuga. But of course, you're bound to begin showing for sure in the fifth month, and by then, I will relieve you of your position until the child is born. And by then we will talk about its future and whatnot. Does this sound plausible to you?"

Swallowing again, Sakura's mind was beginning to spin. To tell Naruto and Hinata - the Hyuga heiress would most definitely keep a secret, but it would mean a good amount of boxing to Naruto in the back of the head so he didn't go around telling the village that the Fifth Hokage's shining star was carrying the baby of the "Man-Beast of the Wild". _That's what people are still saying about Sasuke, and they don't even know who or what he really is, and Lady Tsunade doesn't want this information to get out beyond strict confidentiality, bless her..._

 _I still hope Itachi can do something about Sasuke's heat, if I can't be there._

And of course, Naruto the idiot had a little accident after having a training session in the woods with Konohamaru, and had a sprained ankle which she took care of with a scowl. "Honestly," was all she could tell him when she bandaged him after resetting the bone. He didn't flinch, though, because she knew Naruto. He took pain well even if he inflicted it himself.

Maybe now was the time. Better now than later...

"Naruto," Sakura said when she finished, "you need to know something, and only you, Hinata and Ino. If I so much as find out you opened your loud mouth, your ass is mine." She leaned over and hissed in his face, making him shudder and lean back in horror. He waved both hands in front of himself as if warding off a wild animal.

"Okay, okay, Sakura, no need to get all defensive. What is it?"

"I'm pregnant. I found out last week."

His jaw dropped and his eyes bulged. "Uhhh...okay...so it's..." He was at a loss for words, not wasting time to process this, and that was appreciated whilst adding more to the frazzled atmosphere. He stopped himself in time, letting the name of the father hang between them when he dared to make eye contact with her again.

Sakura gritted her teeth. "Yes, you know who the father is. Keep this between you, me, Hinata and Ino; Lady Tsunade and Shizune know also. If this goes beyond our group, I'll ram you into a tree with my 'gentle' fist. Do you got that, idiot?" she growled, and he nodded whilst stuttering nothing in particular as things had just gotten so much more complicated for him.

~o~

 _He snarled viciously against his chains, tugging at the ones on his wrists and then the one around his neck, spitting at the man behind the bars. He was sick and tired of waiting; maybe the snake was doing this on purpose because he enjoyed the show. There was one way to relieve himself, but he would NOT take the chance should this demon or his favorite hand be watching from a place where he couldn't see or sense his activities._

 _"Where the hell is it?! I'm dying from this!"_

 _A dark chuckle reverberated from the other side. "Dear Sasuke, your patience is about to pay off. Kabuto?" He turned to his left, and the spectacled young man with gray hair appeared with the one Orochimaru promised the boy-beast after months of examination and taking humiliating samples of him: blood, skin DNA, semen, pubes, and don't get him started on what else. It was all degrading and an insult to his pride. This was worse than any hospital in the Five Great Ninja Nations._

Will someone just put me out of my misery?

 _Sasuke stopped himself there._ No, I won't die. I have to harness this pain if I must be strong. I won't let my transformation get the best of me. I can't give this bastard the satisfaction of my suffering. I can endure this whether I want to or not...

 _Even if it meant having sex with someone much older than him, the one before him being also a victim of the Curse Mark and unable to change back. Kabuto brought him in on a leash, but the beast of a man appeared too weak to hold himself in place. "He has been this way much longer than you, Sasuke-kun," Orochimaru explained from his place outside the opened cage door, licking his lips. "But let's hope you yourself will be luckier than this unfortunate fellow. Many others who are not you or my best Four have not survived the stages of the Curse Mark...but you have because you are remarkably strong, even at your age. We have so much in common, my boy."_

 _He wanted to hiss that they were NOTHING alike, but the pitiful whimpering of the weak creature caught his attention. He took in the horrid smell as well as the flyaway gray hair, the dusky flesh not that different from his own, but the black markings were an interesting sight that made his veins thrum with the nerve bundles in his lower regions. Growling and groaning in one, Sasuke gritted his fangs and regular teeth at the same time he resisted going towards his "prey" despite the intolerable heat dominating his young masculine parts. "DAMN IT!" His curse brought forth a snicker from Four Eyes himself._

 _"Have fun, Sasuke," was all he said before he left the caged area to join his master who clicked his loathsome tongue._

 _"If he doesn't satisfy you, you're free to do whatever else you want with him until you truly are. And if it's good enough, I'll let you out of here so we can continue your training. Would you like that?" Orochimaru purred, almost with dark lust that the young Uchiha was not an idiot to recognize. He nodded without saying a word. The door closed then and there, locking into place. "Good. I shall leave you for awhile to your new pet. Call for me when it is done."_

 _If dying screams would be enough to tell the serpent man that his "pet" was done with his toy..._

 _Chains rattled as clawed hands desperately worked to open his pants, gasping and squeezing his eyes shut when finally air brushed over his groin, the tight heat lessening before swelling again. This was as far as he would go. All he wanted was to get this over and done with._ How low I've fallen. I'm not even fourteen yet, and here I am giving up my virginity to someone who makes me sick. But I suppose better him than Orochimaru, the pervy-eyed snake. _He crawled over to the man who was curled into himself, whimpering as he was aware that he wasn't alone anymore, hearing the sounds that bordered on bestial than human. Sasuke shuddered and sucked in his breaths when his pubic area sizzled along with his prematuring manhood throbbing to be somewhere else. He refused to touch himself any further down there than he already had._

 _With a grunt, Sasuke took the man by both forearms and forced him onto his stomach. This was the only sure position he could think of since this wasn't man-on-female contact that he was familiar with based only on study and those foul Icha Icha books Kakashi-Sensei was so fond of. Closing his eyes, he straddled the pitiful male and ripped open the back of his pants. "Pl-please," the victim cried out. Why had Orochimaru thought to take in such a man for a subject, promising him power only to end up like this, Sasuke wondered. The boiling blood in his manhood intensified when it made contact with the older man's -_

 _"I'm sorry - but I must do this." With that, he shoved his way in without any thought of preparation. A tortured scream tore from the other being. Blistering heat soared over his intimate flesh, wrinkled muscles clenching around him and bringing him further in when his own thrusting hips could only do so much. His eyes squeezed as he threw his head back and began to ride out the uncontrollable, painful pleasure in his body._

 _Out of all the hard decisions he made in his life, more to come, this was the hardest when it came to his lost purity and "awakening"._

 _He would not dwell on the details because there wasn't much to remember other than the man beneath him begging him to stop, but he could not. One thought did trouble him: he wasn't a rapist; he hated those kinds of people with every fiber of his being. How could he have known the second stage of the Curse Mark would lead him to this? Kakashi-Sensei had sealed the mark away the best he could, until the day he and Naruto..._

 _It was the memory of Naruto that drove him off the cliff of his frenzy at the same time he reached his explosion point, erupting and spilling his seed into the victim, moaning and groaning at the same time. It was done; he was satisfied, but then that terrible smell reached his nostrils. It was something he did not want to think about, but it intensified his anger at seeing Naruto's unconscious body at the Final Valley when they both exhausted themselves - and the rage erupted when he decided to let the beast within take control, leaning down and taking a massive bite out of the man's neck, in the right side and where the vital jugular vein rested._

 _His screams were terrible music for his soul but exquisite for Sasuke's own blood._

 _Violet-red liquid sprayed out in every direction, some landing on his face and his worn clothing, giving another rancid stench to his senses. Disgustedly and his orgasm dying down, he pulled out of the dead man and readjusted himself just in time for the yellow-eyed man himself to arrive again, his right hand prepared to take away the corpse who had no further use to any of them._

 _That was only the beginning of the forever transformed Sasuke Uchiha's uncontrollable mating heat._

~o~

"Orochimaru...we meet again."

"Itachi," the serpent-like man hissed, licking his lips at the sight of the man in the swirling Akatsuki cloak, the collar buttoned all the way up to cover the lower half of his face. It hadn't been difficult to track down the legendary Snake Sannin to one of his old hideouts he had to return to following an apparent episode with an escaped subject he had to off rather messily and left a trail for the Uchiha to follow. Purely coincidental that he had to find the man who changed his brother back here in the Sound. Obviously, where else could this monstrosity be?

"So we do," Orochimaru continued, turning halfway around from his table of assorted chemicals and tissue samples. On the table next to him was a collection of jars of snakeskins with dead dark eyes that haunted your every step - but he was not intimidated by something that would never harm you. However, the blank stare and pure coiling sight would make a young child cry and run for cover.

Itachi stepped forth from his place in the shadows, his Sharingan ablaze at the sight of the man. It had not been difficult to perform the minor subdue on Kabuto who was still coiling somewhere and held prisoner by Kisame, who threatened him with Samehada at this very moment if he tried anything. "You know why I am here," he stated blandly. "And I want to discuss perhaps a deal in exchange for my brother's humanity returned to him. But you shall not have him once that is done."

 _If anyone will kill this man, I shall be the one. After all, he did not stand a chance once before against my Mangekyo Sharingan._

He watched as the other man paused in his combination of a potion with another, the sample of his latest subject before him hidden by his body from Itachi's vision. He refused to know what Orochimaru was doing now, only came for what he wanted. He had no interests in dealing with this demon, but only for Sasuke. He knew what he was doing, what was at stake, and if it meant a run-in with the Leaf Village or turn himself in by the end, so be it. But all for Sasuke and his family...the only family he had left...

A dark snicker escaped the Sannin's lips, which he licked afterwards and turned completely around, leaning against the table whilst gripping the edges. "It's funny, Itachi-kun, that you would succeed in finding me before the Hidden Leaf Village, concerning your cherished little brother. Speaking of which, how IS dear Sasuke?" he purred, making him narrow his eyes. "I heard he has done quite well for himself without my guidance."

"My brother is not your property," Itachi said chillingly. "You marked him, cursed him, but he was never yours to control. I hold you to an extensive fault, but it was also I who brought him down in the beginning."

"Of course, it was you who took the life of every single member of your precious clan - but no sense living in the past, is it? Believe me, my dear Uchiha, I have been there. But I don't need to ask you; we are nothing alike...but your brother, the nursling he still is, and I share more commonality than either of you want to believe. Perhaps that is why I found it within a small part of myself to finally do your brother a favor this way. Even after all these years, I ultimately found means to discover a way to change the subject I need back to its original state -" _How dare he speak of my brother like he's a thing._ "- so I can obtain it. But after all these years, it should still be obvious who it is I want in a couple more years when I have to locate into a new body..." His malicious golden eyes glowed ever brighter when the irises physically flared before the Sharingan wielder's visual range.

Itachi took a step forward, clenching his hands beneath his long sleeves. "That is where my part comes in, Orochimaru. If you are telling the truth and you have the cure for Sasuke, I will offer you something else in return..." He swallowed and did the deed in taking the other man with him into the paralyzing world of Tsukuyomi, where bloody clouds and a menacing gray moon shone over them. Itachi grinned with victory when he stood before Orochimaru who was bound before him on a cross, his mind manipulated into this very image - half naked with a cloth around his hips, concealing little to the imagination while Itachi himself was also nude. This was for purely domination reasons; this was for his brother and his family. It was not really happening, but the sooner he had this over between himself and this snake, the better.

 _I whored myself to Danzo - I can tolerate the shared enemy of my brother and myself right now. I'll be doing Sasuke a favor by saving his life a second time; that's what big brothers are for._

"Itachi -" Orochimaru grunted, baring his teeth in a snarl of outrage. "- you fool! Using the Mangekyo on me for a second time -!"

"Be quiet so I honor my part of this deal." With that, Itachi unbuttoned his cloak and let it fall to the ground, showing his glory and walking up, keeping his eyes locked on the other's. "My body for Sasuke's humanity and life - take it or leave it." The lethal hiss and snap of the tongue was his answer; the obvious hunger in the snake's eyes was evident.

Everything felt like hours when it was really minutes; when it was finally over, Itachi closed his eyes and cracked his neck to alleviate his stiff muscles. Before him, Orochimaru was still gripping the table and panting with the "excitement".

"Give me five more months, Itachi," he said at last. "This is still the experimental process, so we cannot have any further ill fortune befall on Sasuke-kun, can we?" The Uchiha had his back to the other man when he turned to leave, refusing to speak, but they both knew where this would lead now.

"For your sake, Orochimaru," he said when he paused at the door, not bothering to turn, Sharingan on but not in use, "I hope you honor your half of the bargain. You know me; I will not hesitate to turn the tables onto you."

~o~

 _"...shh, Sakura, it's done..."_

She slumped back onto the soaked sheets and pillows, burning eyes flooded with tears. Her muscles were contracting out of control but no longer out of pain. After ten hours of this, beginning in the middle of the afternoon, she was tired as hell. She wanted to pass out here and now, but the healthy cries prevented her from doing so.

Lady Tsunade brought Ino and Shizune with her, and of course, Naruto had been forced to wait outside with Hinata who had done her best to comfort him. _God...Kami...I knew it hurt so much, but I never thought I'd be in this position!_ Screaming herself hoarse and on the verge of dying as the little thing she carried for nine months tore her apart to pop out between her legs now. She was bleeding, but it wasn't an abnormal amount. When she reached her fifth month, she started showing and therefore was ordered by Tsunade to stay home, confined until the birth date. Naruto and Hinata as well as her ladies - Tsunade, Shizune and Ino - visited her and helped her with groceries and whatnot, even helped make the baby's nursery. What a hell of nine months it had been...

She turned onto her side and began to cry softly, unsure of why, but she felt so hollow inside. Her hormones were going to remain out of control for who knew how much longer.

Ino spoke softly into her ear. "Open your eyes and look at her, Sakura."

A soft hand caressed her forehead. Doing as she was asked, she met Ino's wide, glowing gaze and then looked ahead when Shizune arrived again, beaming ear to ear as she carried the precious pink bundle towards the new mother. Smiling weakly, Sakura sat up and propped against the pillows, accepting her newborn baby with thin streaks of black hair and wide dark eyes within a precious cherubic face... _just like her daddy._

 **Yup, Sakura gave birth to a healthy baby girl. :D Now let's see how Sasuke takes this in the next chapter.**

 **I really felt sick to my stomach when Itachi had to do what he did, even if it was for Sasuke. : & Of course, there ARE M-rated fics of him and Orochimaru, small amount as it is. Not gonna use "tasteful" due to the fact we know what a sick son of a bitch the Snake Sannin is. The big question is: will he REALLY be able to turn Sasuke back into a human being - or does he have another trick up his sleeve...?**


	16. Oil to the Fires

**Look who's BAAAAACK. :D**

 **So sorry it took over two weeks. Tackling a new Kim Possible story as well as finishing up "Brothers in Blood and Bond" not that long ago, a new Itachi oneshot, and now I am giving this my full attention once more. There's a few chapters left, but I don't know how many to be exact. I also had to go back and reread the previous chapters and make notes as to how the rest of this story would go, as to avoid any plot holes. Can't have that. ;D Rest assured, I hope this was worth the wait.**

Chapter Fifteen

Oil to the Fires

Just how did the last nine months go, you ask Naruto Uzumaki who had to crack a grin at the sight of the newborn in Sakura's arms. The new mother herself was tired, her cheeks a little more prominent because she was so tired - she really changed a lot.

 _Having Sasuke's kid when that jerk wasn't even here? Good job on adding more to her problems. Now she's got something of you that you'll never be here to help._

He did not want to think about how this would affect his friend, since outside their little circle - himself, Hinata, Granny Tsunade, Ino and Shizune - would know that Sakura Haruno gave birth to a baby girl while she was still unmarried, and an uproar would come out as to the identity of the father. Naruto had no idea that this would happen, especially after only one time. She had threatened his manhood and entire life if he so much as said a word to any of their other friends and comrades, so he closed his yap altogether. _But man, oh man...this isn't going to be good._

Hinata was flushed when he had been given permission to tell her, putting her hands to her cheeks and thinking about the possible worse - or possible best - that could happen. Sakura was going to be a mother, but how would she manage that and being a med nin at the same time? "R-raising a little one," Hinata said softly, "is full-time. I can take care of it during the day for her..."

Naruto swallowed. That made him nervous because while she didn't mind, he didn't know how to take care of a child, much less someone else's.

 _ **You little chicken-runt, this is the child of the friend you couldn't save. If anything, you would be doing Sasuke this one little favor. Grow a pair.**_ He growled at Kurama and decided a comeback wasn't worth it.

 _Alright, fine. If all Sasuke does is leave behind those who give a damn about him, then I'll pick this torch up with Hinata for him - and for Sakura._

He gave his sweet girlfriend a smile when she offered to take care of Sakura and Sasuke's child - a daughter, now that he saw her when they were both allowed in. She looked so much like her daddy, which made him swallow. The hair and eyes were dark, the skin soft and peachy, and she was yawning on occasion when she'd been screaming moments ago. He wanted to go over and hold her, but Tsunade-baachan insisted he let mother and daughter have their time first. "O-o-kay, Hokage-sama," Hinata agreed, giving a shy smile.

He took one last look at mother and daughter as the old lady shooed them both out, Shizune helping Sakura out of bed to clean up first, and Ino took the little girl who looked over at him and blinked curiously. Something inside Naruto made him tear a little. _How could someone so cute and adorable be born from someone who...?_ He fought so hard to retain his belief that Sasuke would have come and see this, should have found out somehow and swooped in to be with his family...

His anger exploded inside as soon as the door to the bedroom closed on him and Hinata.

"Hinata," he said through his teeth when she offered to make them all tea, leave enough for the Hokage and her aide, "remember the promise I made to Sakura the day I first failed to stop him?"

Her soft opal eyes widened before returning to normal. "Y-yes," she whispered, lowering them and turning her back to him so she could give the boiling water her attention.

Naruto clenched his fists, looking over at the closed bedroom door. "She said it was a once in a lifetime chance. She begged me - and I mean _begged._ You should have seen the tears she shed; she really LOVED him as much as we love each other, Hina...and he was too big of a jerk to even care. And what happened all those months ago proves that; each time we try, we get whooped and back to where we started. He's off again. It's caused us all..." His heart clenched and burned at the same time; he brought his hand up over it and fought the tears.

"...nothing but pain."

His teeth rattled and might have shattered. "Now he got Sakura pregnant with his child, but was he even _HERE_ while we all had been for her - and was he HERE when the kid was born tonight?!" he shouted. "That selfish bastard...son of a..." His voice failed him, and he doubled over, unable to control himself. Gasping, Hinata left the stove as it was and rushed to his side, helping him sit back up, rubbing his back in circles.

"Naruto-kun," she said gently, trying not to weep with him, "I know Sasuke must have had his reasons..."

Everything that exploded from his mouth he had to get out, but he had to make sure Granny didn't hear, because of reasons. Sakura would murder him if this got back to her sensei.

"His reasons being selfish and for himself!" he burst out, leaning into her. "His brother - he suffered because of those old windbags -" Excluding Lord Third who had watched over him all his life. "- and the Uchiha clan - all to save the little brother he loved so much..." His jaw hurt along with his cheeks now.

"What makes me sicker...Granny and that snake...I don't even want to remember what Sakura told me about _them..._ but I see too great a similarity when she had to love someone who hurt her and the village she loved so much." In his mind: _why does a Shinobi have to lose so much, give up so much, just to protect so many others within his or her home?! Why did ITACHI have to do this?! And why did Granny have to lose her brother and the one she loved - and why did that snake...!_

 _GOD DAMN TO KAMI AND ALL, I HATE HIM SO MUCH!_

 _ **Calm down, Naruto,**_ Kurama growled in agitation. _**Ranting, cursing and raving will get you nowhere.**_

 _I know,_ he returned. _But what can we do? Sakura and I aren't allowed to go find Sasuke, and with a baby in the picture, and Itachi isn't the murderer everyone thought he was..._

 _ **And do not forget the mad snake himself. Have you considered that perhaps Itachi and the rest of the Akatsuki could very much be tagging his trail as well? If he's always been watching his younger brother from the shadows all these years, what do you suppose the true savior of Konoha is intending?**_

He sighed and leaned into Hinata. As much as he wanted to answer... _I don't know, and I don't want to think about it right now._

Behind the closed door were the choking cries of the newborn Uchiha girl.

~o~

"She's precious."

Tsunade's manicured nails gently caressed the newborn's forehead when she was placed back into her mother's arms. Sakura felt refreshed after the bath but tired now. She wanted to go to sleep now, but her daughter she wanted to give more attention to.

How could she describe the nine months of feeling the little one she carried growing inside her?

 _The one Sasuke made but hasn't seen._

Itachi came as often as he could during the first five months during the night, before she was relieved and confined to her apartment, where things got harder when Naruto and Hinata as well as Ino would come and see her just to make sure she wasn't alone. That was when Sasuke's brother began to decrease his visits to make sure his brother's lover was protected from being called a traitor - _traitor all because I'm raising his brother's child alone,_ she thought sadly, but sad was an understatement. _Naruto and Hinata know who the father is, they'll help me raise the baby, but it won't last. I might be forced to leave if everyone else finds out she's Sasuke's..._

 _This is his daughter - and she's also mine._

Or maybe they wouldn't expel her if Tsunade had anything to say about it, as long as there was an alternative that she'd been with someone on a mission which had been a mistake - and if no one could ask if it were one of her comrades, which she would never do to. Sakura smiled down at the dark-haired, dark-eyed little angel in her arms which Tsunade doted over as though this were her own grandchild. The smile on the Hokage's face was pure joy, overshadowing the disgust at the identity of this one's father. So many years of failing to bring him back to them, and this birth hadn't done the final job.

She never felt so lonely in the first few months. Sasuke didn't try to see her because he didn't know how to be a father - but he also never said he didn't want to either. Or was he keeping this from her? That was what she asked herself at first, when she suffered in the first trimester, emotionally and physically, but not many of her patients asked her questions regarding her odd behavior. Thank the gods Shizune and Ino saved her skin.

And it was just like Sasuke to take long enough to finally come and see her at the beginning of the fourth month.

He'd brought with him a...a _blanket_ that he'd somehow made with help from Itachi and whoever knew how to sew. Who'd have thought the blood-letting Uchiha men would take up something like this? The fabric was soft as silk, dark as midnight, and one side had the Uchiha crest which gave her the connection to the father and uncle of this child in her arms.

 _The smile on his face when he looked her over, not seeing the growth but knowing it was there - but he didn't even reach out to touch it. The smile was barely reaching his eyes, and I couldn't even read him that well. He was still struggling with this._

He was afraid, and it was hurting more than rejection would have. However, he did lean over and placed a _kiss_ on her forehead before leaving her and promising he'd see her again soon, but no plans when. Hopefully not when she gave birth, or after that...

 _Too much..._

Sakura had once dreamed of being married to him and having his babies - here she was with a baby from him, but unmarried, and he was a wanted man-beast. There was also still Orochimaru who kept slithering away from them all...

...but Itachi gave her hope when he told her the bargain he struck with the Snake Sannin.

 _"I tracked him down. He was in midst of research, but he would not allow me to see it. He is ever sly and slithering away, but I assure you I have him, Sakura-chan. He even asked about Sasuke..."_

 _"Why the hell would the sick bastard do that? He's that much despicable!"_

 _"Yes, he is - but I voiced my conditions. That he take or leave giving back Sasuke's humanity and leaving him be, lest he face my wrath. He did not stand a chance against me and my Mangekyo Sharingan twice before, and this time being only the second. I handed my body to him in the Tsukuyomi before it was over. He asked for five months, and I gave it to him. In four more months, the results will be for my eyes and ears before I consider giving it to your Hokage."_

She'd closed her eyes and objected to that, as much as she wanted to say she agreed. Lady Tsunade would not say no to accepting long-awaited information, but from a wanted S-rank criminal who slaughtered his clan - but she doubted her sensei knew the truth. Where was any evidence that the Village Elders - Danzo included, who was dead now, and the Third himself had opposed and lost - had given the painful task of having him do the deed himself. _Naruto is a hero for our village...but Itachi also deserves to be. Naruto dreams to be the Hokage -_

 _\- but Itachi should also be, because he's what a Hokage should be: the one who is willing to take risks, even if they lead to some dark results._

 _And besides...who would be willing to accept him with or without proof that he's as much a hero as Naruto is?_

She laid back against her pillows, the baby long since placed back into her crib at the foot of the bed because her mother wanted her close. She just didn't trust leaving the kid in her own room because of reasons. A mother's instincts was to protect. Thinking that made her fall a little inside; her own parents had no idea she was ever pregnant. How could she have told them? They would have been all over her, asking her questions, and would they have understood her even if they DID support her? Least of all, her _mother?_

 _With the exception of Naruto, Hinata, my lady, Shizune and Ino, I'm alone._

Or not. She found herself realizing she wasn't alone anymore. She sensed a chakra presence in her bedroom, and it was intense. Familiar and flowing with red. She said the name softly but loud enough for him to hear, and his silhouette set foot into the faint moonlight streaming in. "Itachi."

"Sakura-chan." A faint chuckle was heard as he made his presence known between the foot of her bed and the cradle where the little Uchiha girl was just waking up upon awareness that another human being was with her and her mother.

~o~

He and Sasuke had been making some good progress during the entire time of Sakura's carrying of the Uchiha heir - to better degrees that the brothers could go if there were still times the younger kept his distance from his elder. Sasuke currently resided far beyond the Hokage Mountain, making sure he wasn't within reach of patrolling ANBU, but instead of taking his time to borrow what he needed to feed himself and polish his weaponry before returning when he was finished, he took to doing so to any nearby smaller villages.

And unlike that one time he saved the child and returned him to his older brother, Sasuke had been extra careful to make sure no one saw his face like young Ryuu. To remember the noble act stirred Itachi's brotherly pride, but it made Sasuke ache inside when he remembered how _they_ used to be like that.

And speaking of which, if Itachi heard correctly, the Sai fellow on Kakashi's team had a brother once. _The brother conflict follows my_ otouto _everywhere he goes..._

Sasuke had to be here, but right now, Itachi made his time to visit mother and child. He smiled down at the little one arousing from sleep. He saw enough Uchiha in her, and when those eyes opened, she looked curious before smiling and reaching for him. Chuckling, Itachi dipped in his hand and let her take his fingers in a little vice of a grip. "She's going to be strong someday, Sakura." Just like he told her during the seventh month when the baby was kicking late in the dark hours when Naruto and his lover left her.

 _"The child kicks strong. This is a good sign my niece or nephew will inherit from both sides."_

 _"You're not calling me a weak woman now, are you, Itachi-san?"_

 _"Not at all. If you were weak at all, my brother would have been a bigger fool than he is now."_

The baby cooed and tugged on his hand, making both him and her mother laugh. "She wants to be held," Sakura told him.

"Of course." He gently picked the little girl up beneath both arms and held her close, elevating her head upwards properly, raising an eyebrow when he noticed the blanket he and Sasuke had gotten together to make wasn't present. Sakura must have hidden it to avoid her friends finding it and judging her. If not Naruto or Hinata, or her blonde friend, then the others, he mused. "Now, where is the gift my brother and I created for her?"

She reached down to the bottom drawer of her night table, pulling out the Uchiha crested blanket. "I wanted to pull it out as soon as she was born. I didn't want the others finding out."

"Of course not," Itachi agreed, sitting down beside her and letting her wrap it around her daughter, before letting her take her to rest against her breast. The small eyes closed as she relished the feel of her mother's breast like a pillow. It reminded him of when he was a child when his mother held his newborn baby brother against her the same way. The memory as well as the present made the proud uncle melt inside. He reached over and gently pinched the baby's cheek. "Have you thought of a name for her, hn?"

"Sarada." She answered without hesitation. He frowned, brows knitting.

"Sarada...it means oil."

"Oil to fuel the fires," she corrected with a light laugh which he joined in spite of himself. _The oils to start the Will of Fire, which the Uchiha fan with their burning spirits._ He could see it already in her. His niece curled her hand into a little fist against her chest, on the verge of falling asleep again. Sasuke had no idea what he was afraid of. This was his daughter, for Kami's sake, and Itachi decided enough was enough.

"Sakura," he said, looking at her face, "perhaps it is time I told you the true depth of my brother's distance from you and the child..."

 **I anxiously await reviews since the wait HAD to be worth it. :D Stay tuned for the next chapter soon in which Itachi tells her everything...**


	17. We Are One

**On YouTube is this wonderful tribute for Itachi and Sasuke called "We Are One", though I don't know who sings it. I get the feeling I may have heard it before, that it may be from some Disney feature, but when I was listening to it again today, it had me thinking it could work for this chapter in the title and as a whole. :) "We are more than we are; we are one."**

Chapter Sixteen

We Are One

He was not at liberty of denying this any longer, to her and to his brother. He gazed squarely into her eyes when he spoke to her, watched as the baby began to fall asleep against her mother. "...perhaps it is time I told you the true depth of my brother's distance from you and the child," he said slowly.

Sakura lifted her chin, unreadable. "He said he'd come back, but he broke his promise," she said, trying to keep calm so she didn't scare her daughter. "The only time I saw him was when he brought me this -" She tugged the blanket around the infant with her forefinger and thumb. "- and he barely even looked at me, didn't bother touching her while she still rested inside me...didn't bother making a connection with _our baby..._ "

"He had his reasons," Itachi interjected firmly. "It was not only his own foolish fears...he loves you both, Sakura-chan."

"He has a funny way of showing it." She broke the contact and looked down at the now-sleeping Sarada, whispering nothing in particular and kissed the soft cheek. "Is this how all of you Uchiha men treat your women - or is it just him?" she hissed, making him close his eyes and sigh.

 _Sasuke, foolish brother...look what you've done. You don't grasp what you never planned to want when it is in front of you. You fail to accept this woman's devout loyalty._

"I assure you, he loves you, Sakura. He won't admit it, but I know my brother, if you have forgotten." The glowing green glare he received made him smile lightly. "We Uchiha love as powerfully as you are capable of, and perhaps Naruto. Once a member of our clan comes to know love, it is as if all our previously checked emotions are released. This love and power is exceeding perhaps even any other clan's." _Only more problematic._

"That's a classy way to put it," she said snidely.

Itachi resisted rolling his eyes. "It's much more complex than you originally thought. Let me tell you that this great emotion comes at the price of losing control. When an Uchiha knows this love and loses it, be it ripped away by another or if abandoned at will...it changes them when they are replaced with a powerful hatred." He paused there to look and read the thoughts in her eyes, mirroring his own.

 _Just like Sasuke._

"When an Uchiha rises from the great agony or disappointment in themselves, you cannot imagine the darkness that overtakes their soul. The Sharingan -" He allowed his oculars to flare with his clan's accursed bloodline. "- are also known as the 'eyes that reflect the heart'. Many a great Uchiha succumbed to this evil that overcomes with these strong emotions; when it becomes too strong, that person cannot be stopped. Our ancestor, Madara Uchiha, who helped our current Hokage's grandfather found this village, was one who became such an individual with the loss of his brother and his clan's discrimination."

There was a pause so she could absorb this, before finally breaking it with steady gasps of air. "Madara Uchiha...he loved his brother as much as you loved Sasuke," she breathed. Itachi nodded somberly.

"Like I told you, our bloodline was tainted from the very beginning."

"I am getting all of this, but I still don't understand why it has to do with me and Sasuke. He's not the boy I remember..."

 _He stopped being the innocent boy I remembered, because of me..._

"What's done is done, Sakura. Everything that transpired was meant to be. We are all Shinobi; we endure what we must." Her flaring irises heatedly told him that she was sick of hearing that especially when it came to Sasuke. She was sick and tired of this, and he more than sympathized with her. Sympathy and pity had nothing to do with this...

 _We love him._

 _We love him, but he is too stubborn. And so I push to shove for him. He has but one more step to take on his own without me after this..._

"But today we have the power to change it," he swore to her, finding it in himself to do the one thing that he had not done to Sasuke since he was a child:

He reached out and placed two of his fingers against Sarada's forehead, but didn't flick her hard like he did to Sasuke. He had been tempted to do so to the mother herself, but he was not in the mood for her wrath directed at him tonight. The baby stirred and blinked up at him, then directed her attention to his lingering hand, reaching and touching his ring when it blinked in front of her eyes, cooing. The feel of her tiny, soft fingers against his skin made him close his eyes.

Itachi leaned over and placed a soft kiss to her forehead. "I love you, _mei_ ," he breathed softly, for her and then her mother to hear - and the one who finally made his presence known. _I knew you would finally come, little brother._

~o~

Itachi was already here, but he paid the elder no heed because he waited out for his time. _She won't want to see me,_ he automatically assumed as the late night blanketed over him as he waited atop the house across her apartment like he would when he had the chance, but he had to limit himself to avoid being spotted.

Deep down, he was tired of avoiding her. He was tired of being alone, of being just with his brother and shark-faced Kisame -

\- and tired of being afraid. He was tired of being a coward.

Gritting his teeth, Sasuke took the picture in with the Sharingan, feeling his heart stop in beats when he took in his Sakura - yes, _his_ \- in bed, tired and ridden, with the little one handed to her by his dearest _aniki._ From his position, he saw her bedroom window in which his insides took a turn for the worse when he caught the pure, unadulterated love in Itachi's eyes when he held the baby and doted upon her before handing her to her mother. He closed his eyes when the memory of learning of the gender earlier came to light when Itachi arrived to bring him his latest catch, the bones removed and all for him to burn over the fire.

 _"Congratulations, little brother. You have a strong, healthy daughter. I daresay she looks more like you."_

And with the way Sakura held her, he did see what Itachi was talking about. The child's soft raven hair, her eyes closing - but he did glimpse _his_ eyes - and that little fist curled before her chest as the mother rocked her gently. Who knew what she and Itachi were talking about now. He watched the scene for a few more moments before deciding that he should finally make himself known. He had waited long enough.

When he managed to pry his way in without triggering alarms, he caught every word from his brother crystal clear as he hid in the shadows.

"We Uchiha love as powerfully as you are capable of, and perhaps Naruto. Once a member of our clan comes to know love, it is as if all our previously checked emotions are released. This love and power is exceeding perhaps even any other clan's."

 _I loved so much. I loved you, Itachi - but then you betrayed me. I loved Mother, Father - as far as I could go - and any other relative we had, but it was because of those bonds I went on living for what you wanted of me..._

 _Naruto...you said you loved me like a best friend and a brother..._

 _...Sakura..._

"When an Uchiha knows this love and loses it, be it ripped away by another or if abandoned at will...it changes them when they are replaced with a powerful hatred."

Sasuke's nails curled inward, pressing into the skin of his palms. He squeezed his eyes shut. He tried to block it all out and failed.

"When an Uchiha rises from the great agony or disappointment in themselves, you cannot imagine the darkness that overtakes their soul. The Sharingan are also known as the 'eyes that reflect the heart'. Many a great Uchiha succumbed to this evil that overcomes with these strong emotions; when it becomes too strong, that person cannot be stopped. Our ancestor, Madara Uchiha, who helped our current Hokage's grandfather found this village, was one who became such an individual with the loss of his brother and his clan's discrimination."

 _The fate of the brothers of the Uchiha..._

It seemed Sakura really was beginning to understand completely after all. "Madara Uchiha...he loved his brother as much as you loved Sasuke." He heard the slight crack in her voice that it added another to his fractured heart. He was inclined to burst in there now and just get this over with. But as it turned out, she still seemed to see him as the boy she remembered instead of what he was now, and it made him a little angry again. _You never knew who I was before we were on Team Seven, Sakura,_

"Like I told you, our bloodline was tainted from the very beginning," Itachi told her gravely. "What's done is done, Sakura. Everything that transpired was meant to be. We are all Shinobi; we endure what we must...but today we have the power to change it."

What Sasuke saw made him utter a gasp that he held to himself. His brother had the audacity to poke the baby's forehead like he did when they were children. Jealousy flamed briefly before it was gone. But because his daughter was only an infant, she wasn't offended like her father had been. Instead, she cooed softly and reached out to take her uncle's fingers, intrigued by the ring adorning his finger. It was so innocent and rapt with curiosity. Then Itachi bowed his head and gently kissed her, whispering the very words that made Sasuke's dam break and release the flood down his cheeks, scalding him.

"I love you, _mei._ " He told his niece he loved her. A killer would never hold her, touch her, and whisper such words to her without sincerity. They were words the younger Uchiha had not said in more than half his life. Love made you whole only to break you in the end.

Sasuke's body wracked, and he wrapped his arms around himself, bowing his head in utter shame.

 _All I cared about was surviving in order to defeat my brother - but how could I defeat him if he toyed with me, if I'm a horrible monster...and he's only protected me and the mother of my child?!_

 _Sakura said she loved me...and I never told her I loved her back. When she told me she was pregnant, all I said was "I see". I was afraid. I can't help her raise the child with the way I am now...but if Itachi can get Orochimaru to change me if everything he told me was true. I still don't trust that slimy bastard, I never want to see him again, but after all these years, I think I..._

He ended his train then and there, deciding he cared not for his appearance and let himself be seen by the two important people in his life. He cleared his throat, however, and straightened his posture.

Sakura's green gems for eyes were twinkling and glazed when they took in his face and the shine of the tears. "Sasuke..." she whispered, heartbroken. He lowered his eyes in dishonor. He hoped to the gods she wouldn't shed any more tears; she'd done that enough when she tried to stop him from leaving her and their village all those years ago, and how did he repay her? By leaving her on the bench and running to that monster, letting so many of his friends and comrades be nearly beaten and killed by the Sound Four who warned him his free will would be gone, that his soul would be tarnished forever - and Naruto, his best friend who promised he'd do whatever it took, he would have killed as one more bond to break.

 _None of it freed me from my pain - it only gave me more. I want it to end. In return, I'm causing it to others around me._

"I'm...sorry, Sakura." It was not enough, would never be enough, but it was all he could say for now, and she knew it, too. He didn't know what it was like to be a father, and it looked like Itachi was doing a damned fine job, but the baby was _his. I made her, Sakura brought her into the world - she's OURS._

Sasuke found his way around the bed and didn't realize he was at her side until he felt his knees bump the side. Itachi had given him something more covering to his lower body, giving his legs more warmth as well as sandals. It was so strange as he'd been barefoot for so many years. Sasuke tentatively fell to his knees and reached out with both arms, fearing that his hold on his own child would not be strong enough, but her smile was reassuring as she handed the bundle wrapped in the dark blanket where the Uchiha crest was before his eyes, behind the babe's back.

He didn't know how to describe the feeling that washed over him when he looked into his daughter's eyes as she gazed up at him with a parted mouth and a soft yawn. He was amazed she didn't start crying at his hideous face - but did she recognize her own father, the one who created her? She reached for him, and he leaned down until that tiny hand cupped his cheek. He gasped at the sensation that coursed through his blood. This simple contact...

He knew what it was because he'd seen it in his brother. He was _in love_ with his newborn baby girl. So in love another tear slid down his cheek. He closed his eyes. He was unable to speak except for one. "What is her name?" he forced out, holding her closer to him as he looked up at his lover and brother, both of whom were smiling at him.

"I named her Sarada," Sakura told him proudly. "Because she's the oil to rekindle the fire."

Choking in his throat, Sasuke swallowed painfully as he shook in his kneeling position, keeping her wrapped in her blanket as he held her out by less than an arm's length and looked over her small but vigorous body kicking out and laughing. The first real laugh tore from his soul after being locked away by his suffering. "Sarada...Uchiha..." Her full name was slick on his tongue, like the oil in her name. She was still giggling when he brought her back down to hold her against his chest, her small chin against his shoulder as he inhaled to steady his breathing.

"Forgive me, little one." _For not being here when you were born tonight, for not being around your mother...and for being a monster._

 **I'd just finished season 17 of Shippuden when I finally got to the episodes where the four Hokage (Hashirama, Tobirama, Hiruzen and Minato) were revived by Orochimaru, and the Second himself ever cynical gave the most phenomenal insights on the power of love within the Uchiha - and how losing or being betrayed by your loved one can lead you down the path too dark to go back, like Madara. My God...I have never been so breathless when that moment inspired me for this chapter.**

 **Reviews beyond appreciated. (tears of joy)**


	18. Fifty-Fifty Chances

**It took me FOREVER to try and bring out more bits of Orochimaru's past in which we know next to nothing regarding his parents especially before he was orphaned. One such short I did read for inspiration was "Mannequins" by Avalon76, which is short, sweet and VERY dark - rated mature for the thoughts of a madman and some language. It was a hell of a read, but I also had to think about what also led to young Orochimaru's fascination with studying jutsu.**

Chapter Seventeen

Fifty-Fifty Chances

Ever since the beginning of his research, Orochimaru believed that the great power of immortality lay within the Curse Mark itself, which had been among the forbidden discoveries he made in Konoha before his own master discovered him.

 _Too bad, Sarutobi-Sensei,_ he thought with a twisted smile, _I had to be the one to kill you...before you sealed my arms away, that is._ The smile was gone as quickly as it came.

 _Tsunade would have willingly healed me if Jiraiya and that Nine-Tailed hosted brat of his had not interfered._

The Snake Sannin closed his eyes as he reclined in his chair, exhausted to his bones. Seldom was he ever this tired, but today was an exception because the events were successful. One in ten was the rate of anyone surviving the second state of the Curse Mark - Anko was one such lucky one long before Sasuke-kun, but she wasn't strong enough for his next body, at the time. He hadn't thought of her for years ever since Sasuke came along, but she hadn't been successful then to fully release her seal.

He found himself looking into the flames of the candle burning on the table to his left, smirking at the moth that flew too close and extinguished at once. When did these poor, pitiful creatures ever learn that fire was all too festering to tamper with?

 _Just as real power is forged from the desire smoldering in the heart. It fans into a flame and begins to burn with an intensity one scarcely imagined to be impossible._

How too easy it had been to grow within him just when his parents died. His father had been in Danzo's ANBU Root. He'd been only a child when his father had been forced by the old coot to bring him into the laboratory where the child had his first sights on the dead Shinobi brought in, as to gain a better understanding of the various form of jutsu they used. Young Orochimaru, yellow eyes wide and rapt with curiosity, gazed upon the corpses covered with blood-stained white sheets - some were ANBU but others were dead enemies spirited away by Danzo's shady order. When he was first joined into Sarutobi's team, his sensei was approached by Danzo and reluctantly allowed the genius of his Genin team to become part of his operations.

Some things are best to remain in the past. But know good and well Orochimaru blamed both Danzo and his own sensei for this.

His mother was working under Lord Second Tobirama Senju, the younger brother of Tsunade's grandfather - who also mentored Hiruzen-Sensei. Was it not funny how the ties that bound the deepest were the ones to cut most painfully? She was nothing more than an aide, married to a man who was taken against his will to become a Shinobi under the reign of Danzo, but he did treat his wife and only son well. She lived and loved life despite the brutalities around them...but later that would come slicing her and his father's head off their shoulders.

 _Too bad I could never get my revenge on Danzo. He was only vital to my journey. Had I taken his life with my own hands, my work in thanks to my dear father would have been for nothing._

He would have become Fourth Hokage had dear old Sarutobi not seen the darkness within his soul, instead choosing Minato Namikaze - but no sense dwelling on a minor loss, is there? His time in the Leaf Village was done for from then on, his experiments with the acquired DNA cells of the late First Hokage himself failing in his subjects and so forth, and the deaths brought the attention of his own master and the rest of ANBU.

Should he say that prices are always paid for something greater?

He was no stranger with moving from hideout to hideout. No matter; he'd intended to establish an all-new organization far away from the known great nations. And it had been through Danzo that he'd met and brought in young Kabuto, if not for poor sweet Nono herself. The poor boy never learned who he truly was, and in many ways, Orochimaru thought they were so alike - if he himself was different in more ways than one, his own body included. A body that he was required to change with the Forbidden Jutsu.

The body was part of life, but every day it rotted away. He loathed the feeling when he risked his own body and life to examine his decaying system, knowing that with the serpentine side of himself, he would be able to regenerate once his new home was made within another, willing or not. _Everything in life grows and eventually dies to make room for more. It's a shame I can't relish a permanent body as it was said to be._

 _Nothing is permanent._

What he shared with Tsunade when she lost Dan was never going to be forever. Life of a Shinobi did not mean "forever" - only for now, make it last however long you could. But the hardened snake felt a small part of himself turn to mush when he had his first taste of pleasure with a woman he'd known since he was a child, who expressed her interest since their first meeting.

He clenched his hands into fists. Why was he thinking about her again at this time? The fire of anger in her eyes when she and Jiraiya pitted against him that day - she must still hate him now. She despised him for killing their sensei. She cursed him, refused to heal him because she knew he was a monster, something that shouldn't exist in this world.

 _But why do I still find myself thinking about her?_

Some mornings he awoke with the light weight in his body and on his mind, sometimes remembering what he dreamed about, half of the time not - and much of it involved Tsunade. He would close his eyes and wish sleep would reclaim him in endless darkness just to avoid the slight sink, call for Kabuto for anything to erase the hollow tunnel. Life itself would always be so empty...

Dare he say life wasn't entirely empty when Sasuke came into his life?

He bared his teeth into a hiss. No, do not dare ask him if it was anything like Tsunade or anything that society would frown upon. He was far above that; with his deep descent, he never felt anything other than the power of living through those who sought him out. But with the young Uchiha, with his pain, loneliness and his brother's betrayal - was the great Orochimaru developing a soft spot for the one he only needed as his next body, his family's Sharingan a new jutsu for his alone?

 _The boy had to become trapped in the second stage - it was not the first time, but he was beyond lucky to survive. He was remarkable, he dodged my attacks in the Forest of Death, he beat me...he would have done just fine..._

 _...and it was fun to watch him writhe in heat. I never would have anticipated this side effect all those years ago._ Purely out of habit, Orochimaru reached out and danced his fingers swiftly through the flame, not afraid to be burned. _Many died in that stage, but he was a survivor...like me._

He stopped playing with the flame and brought the slightly singed tips to his eyes. "You were nothing more than a lost child in my eyes, a nursling sap," he said softly, "but...you shouldn't have been trapped as a beast. It should not have been that way..."

All these years, he took pity on Sasuke just because of how similar and different they were at the same time. That must be why Orochimaru finally discovered his means for a "cure". His next body wouldn't be for less than two years now, but Sasuke...after all this time...why could he never get Sasuke each time when he was always so close?

Orochimaru stood up and stretched himself. He exhaled with ecstasy when his bones popped in relaxation. He stood up and went over to the table with the results from the previously mention success. He'd found it after all these years. He had believed that after all the failures with Sasuke-kun's DNA samples beneath his eyes, there was no hope. He liked to believe he tirelessly lost sleeping nights for the boy who was supposed to be his next body because of exactly that reason...but was that all it was?

He let his tongue slip out and lick his lips as he reread the written text. _This subject hasn't been in the stage for many weeks, but for one like dear Sasuke who has lived for years..._

Orochimaru closed his eyes on the tragic possibilities that could come. This was a fifty-fifty chance of survival.

 _But Itachi will be waiting for this._

~o~

Lady Tsunade was unable to take a break from the office to come and check on her, but she did send Shizune. Ino was at the flower shop today, but she was planning to bring some flowers to decorate the house a little because she'd given birth to a beautiful and healthy baby girl.

"She's really precious," Shizune cooed, and TonTon oinked at the infant who cooed and giggled, reaching out to the cute little farm animal who sniffed at her. "Did she keep you awake at all?"

"Nope, she was perfect," the new mother answered lightly, but in her mind: _two certain handsome Uchiha men have. Itachi is good-looking, but he's not Sasuke - who is beautiful inside and out, light and dark at the same time. I think his daughter's birth is now knocking him further on the track of sense._

 _ **That's exactly what I am talking about, Billboard!**_

Shizune laughed and opened her medical bag to aid in doing the checkup. She took heartbeat, pulse and the likes, and the baby reached out to try and grab the stethoscope. "Oh, I see someone got a little too curious when she's not even a day old," Shizune said, amazed.

Sakura looked down at Sarada and smiled proudly. _I don't know if she gets it from me, or from her father._ "How's Lady Tsunade and everyone at the hospital?"

"Everyone misses you - though..." Shizune's face fell a little. "...how do you plan to tell everyone who asks about her now? Your parents are also sure to find out -" The pink-haired woman nodded gravely. To this day, her mother was nagging as ever, but she got no choice but to deal with it. After all, this was her granddaughter she had to meet. She might not stay mad for long, right? _Her and Dad would dote on her, that's for sure._

It was then and there that both Shizune and TonTon noticed the dark blanket around the baby which the mother herself had remembered that she'd forgotten to take off. "Oh, God!" the dark-haired woman exclaimed when she saw the symbol on the back. "Sakura, was he here?!" Her eyes bulged.

 _Damn it, I have to lie now - and keep calm..._ "I noticed this morning when I awoke, but I didn't see any break-in signs. I guess...Sasuke learned about the birth and decided to leave it. He must have pieced together, however he did it." That seemed to satisfy Shizune, but in her heart, she ached lying to her friend like this. But it had to do.

"I guess...Sasuke must still be the good man you and Naruto believe he is."

 _He is._ The smile Sakura gave her was only the ghost of one in her muscles.

She looked into Sarada's eyes and laughed when the baby prodded at her breast, telling her she was hungry. She pulled down the elastic neckline of her gown for her nipple to be taken into her daughter's mouth, shivering at the feeling of her child feeding. She wished Sasuke was here to see her nursing their baby.

~o~

Given this was his old home, he saw no need to harness himself since he felt beyond prepared for anything and everything now. But if there was one thing Sasuke should have counted on, it was the return of the snake himself. _I should have known I'd see him again. After all these years..._

"Orochimaru," he snarled, sensing the serpent's presence just as he slung the latest wild rabbit kill over his shoulder, "why don't you just come out instead of hiding like the snake you are, waiting to jump on the prey?"

The sinister chuckle he hadn't heard in years but haunted half his nights sounded about, carried with the wind that began to pick up. "You haven't changed a bit, have you, dear Sasuke?" The slurping of a tongue on lips made him recoil in his stomach. The figure itself emerged from the earth, in mud form before materializing into a humanoid shape and ultimately becoming the snake man himself. Golden eyes narrowed to slits at the sight of him and his wings spread on either side, his kill over one shoulder and bloody kunai in one hand while his other reached behind him for his sword...

"You truly want to fight when we could both attract attention at this time of day?" Orochimaru asked slyly, remaining as he was, looking the man-beast over with the same predator's delight. Then his attention shifted to the dead animal on his former pupil-subject's shoulder. "Ahhh, it seems you've managed to keep yourself fit and alive all these years in a very good way, hmm."

"Cut to the chase! What do you want from me? I have better things to do than to waste my time with you."

"Then I don't suppose you wish to know that I am here on behalf of your dear brother - and I have the cure you waited for a long time for," the Sannin drawled, and Sasuke reeled before regaining himself. He let the dead rabbit slide off his shoulder, removed his hand from the hilt of his sword, but otherwise kept the kunai in check.

 _You mean...you actually FOUND it...?!_

~o~

Tsunade had no regrets becoming the Fifth Hokage, but because she felt older than she looked on the outside, she decided that the time to retire would soon come. She found herself looking up at the portraits of those before her; soon she would go up there when her time was up, just as her face had been carved into the mountain.

The first: her grandfather, Hashirama.

The second: great-uncle Tobirama.

The third: Hiruzen-Sensei, rest him.

The fourth: Minato Namikaze...the one who saved them all from the Nine-Tails...

She looked up from her musings and her steaming teacup at the ANBU who appeared in the middle of the office. "Report?" she asked tiredly, rubbing her temples. Sakura was still at home resting for a few more days. She looked forward to having her back, but the additional worry was how she would manage her daughter's future. She smile lightly to herself; thinking about her apprentice's new little one made her a grandmother in a way.

"Lady Hokage, there has been a reported sighting behind the Hokage Mountain. It appears to be none other than Lord Orochimaru and this..." The man behind the mask swallowed once. "...we are unable to identify, but it's a man...creature...something..."

Tsunade was on the verge of shattering her cup when she stood up. _Orochimaru, it's just like you to come back here!_ She felt her veins bulge out. _And the man-creature...it has to be Sasuke Uchiha. So he finally decided to come back..._

 _..but why are he and Orochimaru here together?!_

It was not a good idea to jump to conclusions, but as Hokage, she would protect this village from another attack by her former teammate if it was the last thing. "Assemble your units then," she barked, "and set up every possible trap you can to capture them both. But I warn you: do not kill or hurt them both severely in any way."

Orochimaru must have tracked Sasuke here, she assumed as she turned to look outside the window, over the view of the peaceful village. She felt the veins soften but continue to throb. _Sasuke decided to come back - three months short of his next rampage. Sakura reported he couldn't control it, all of it Orochimaru's doing, so I can't be harsh and assume he would pick another innocent individual here in MY village._ Hope began to arise.

 _Sakura must have changed something in him that night, after all._

But it didn't explain Orochimaru. However, if she did know him well as she told her protégé, then he must have found the cure on his own. There would be no telling unless an interrogation session was in order.

Tsunade clenched her fists, nails drawing a little blood. She would be damned if Sasuke would be harmed in any way.

~o~

"Damn it," Itachi swore when he sat up in the cave he was in with Kisame. They were less than a day short of arriving at the Hidden Leaf Village when they'd decided to pitch camp. He had a terrible feeling that something was not right. Groaning, he sat up and stretched, his muscles flexing as his bones popped. He then reached for his discarded shirt and pulled it over his head before rising and picking his pants and underwear to pull on. His back faced his partner who licked his lips at the delicious sight.

"Little brother again?" the shark man asked as he watched the younger man pull his hair out from its tie, shaking the locks before retying it again.

Itachi was slipping on his sandals when he frowned. "Of course. Get dressed, Kisame," he ordered, never mind the wild night before which had been worth the wait in a while. "We can't be late. Orochimaru must either still be on his way -" His eyes flashed with the raging Sharingan. "- or he's already gotten to my brother."


	19. Catch and Fail

**I'd love to thank the wonderful guest who said that I really almost made them feel sorry for Orochimaru, and I'm honored. :) I really did feel bad for him when I progressed on, learning his background and everything (though his crimes are inexcusable), but here is the thing that I also learned from Crispin Freeman (voice of Itachi in English dub):**

 **"You can't hate someone you don't CARE about." Wise man. :D**

 **A few more chapters at most, and things will come out well for pretty much everyone - though it leaves what to do with Itachi. A minor spoiler: I have NO intentions to kill him off, and that is as far as I am going. ;) He's too important to us all.**

Chapter Eighteen

Catch and Fail

He stood face to face with his old sensei and captor, never breaking eye contact. For now was a battle of the oculars: red-and-black versus gold. One blazing with anger and hate, the other impressed and calculating. He still saw the younger man as a test subject to him. _How can he see me any different? We're all nothing but subjects to him. He sickens me - no, I HATE him. I hate him more than I hate Itachi._

Somehow he wished, just for the moment becoming the little boy he used to be, that big brother was here to help him deal with this monster. On second thought...

 _I'm not a child anymore. I don't need any help. He's still a crafty bastard as ever, but I'll show him I'm not the child he remembers. I'll have him cower before me, wipe that smug off his face, rip out that tongue and shove it -_

He'd stopped his thoughts when Orochimaru spoke of what he'd never thought was possible.

"You have it then."

The snake tittered. "Of course, that is what I just said, ne, Sasuke-kun? I even carry it with me at the very moment - but I am afraid these surroundings will not do to give it to you now." Sasuke growled at him, lips pulling back, his nails digging into his palms and wanting to draw blood. Then he would throw the bloodied blade to pierce the other's heart, never mind the snake would dodge via substitution or catch it with his snakes.

"Why are you delaying me, Orochimaru?" he demanded, then his senses picked up. _We're being followed. ANBU or any other Shinobi - they know we are here, damn it! Now I know why he wants us to move now._ Orochimaru looked at him with a slight smirk that clearly said "I told you". Sasuke sighed.

"Fine. Where do you wish to take this?"

The snake man smirked and turned his back before leaping into the trees beside them, and he growled. He remembered his kill and quickly picked it up to throw over his shoulder again. He had his mind on both things: his need to eat which had been his intentions before his old sensei appeared, and now that Orochimaru was here, he intended to get that cure...

...but what would happen then? What could he do? He was just next to home, but it wasn't like they would welcome him back warmly. Only a small handful he knew of, and Lady Hokage would have to still follow procedure as required. Otherwise, her hands would be tied. But first, he would get that antidote, whatever it was. And he would get the answers as to what had been used.

His wings were his guide so he was even with the Snake Sage, catching up without trouble. This earned a chuckle and a lick of the lips. "Very impressive, Sasuke. Big brother must be proud that you've gotten stronger," Orochimaru noted.

Sasuke glared at him. He was making fun of him, and the Uchiha knew it. "It's none of your concern. I learned enough from you in three years and took care of myself afterwards. And if you think you can get my body again after today, you're dreaming. What you have - claiming me - is nothing but a fantasy that you never got to bring to life."

The other man didn't respond, but that insufferable smile was slipping away enough to make Sasuke smile - but it faded when he heard a shout out to them.

 _"Wood Style: Giant Forest Jutsu!"_

 _Damn it!_ He whirled around and quickly made the signs, letting Orochimaru go ahead since the Sannin's jutsus were sealed away for good in thanks to the late Lord Third. Coming their way was a collection of thick tree branches which grew at speed and made way for them both, coming from the Shinobi he recognized as Yamato when his old team had come for him. He sniffed and roared back, blowing the powerful flames from his charged up system. _"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"_

The group pulled back at the fire technique, but apparently, one of them used Water Style to extinguish the flames. One of them yelled out to them. "If you come with us at your own will, neither of you will be harmed!" He wanted to laugh; what a joke! _I'll show them that the Man-Beast of the Wild - who happens to be their own Sasuke Uchiha - isn't the demon they believed he was. When Orochimaru gets me back as he claims, then I'll kill him myself and do the village a favor._ Sasuke turned his back to them and continued flight, finally deciding that if he and Orochimaru continued at this pace, they would both be captured. He rushed forward and grabbed his former sensei beneath the arms and hauled them out of the air.

But not before he yelled back to them. "Sorry, you guys - but he's got the cure to turn me back into a human! Tell your Hokage that I had no wishes to fight, and no wishes to have him killed before this!" He grinned at the brunette ninja's face and the frigid posture of the masked ANBU with him before taking off above the trees with Orochimaru still in his arms.

"Now, tell me, dear Sasuke: why did you save me?"

"Don't think about it as 'saving' you, Orochimaru. You owe me a big favor. I don't know how Itachi got you to do this, but I don't care. Only you give me what I want, and I kill you myself."

~o~

"We've lost them, Lady Hokage."

She sighed, closing her eyes. Barely past noonday, and they lost the ones they should have grasped. "How did you lose them?!" she demanded of the three ANBU before her. Yamato was among them with his mask off and head bowed.

"No doubt the man-creature was Sasuke Uchiha himself, because I recognized him. Orochimaru was in tail with him," he said grimly. "But it's unclear if they were working together or not. For sure, we did get enough confirmation from Sasuke's own mouth that Orochimaru had a 'cure', and wouldn't let us take them in for it."

 _Thank goodness Shizune won't face my wrath._ Indeed she was boiling past her limit. With a stifled roar, the lady slammed both fists on her desk and towered over them all. The men recoiled at her fury but regained themselves. Good, they deserved to feel it today because they couldn't even get Sasuke and Orochimaru. "YOU FOOLS - THE LOT OF YOU! YOU ARE TO GET BACK OUT THERE WITH YOUR UNITS AND GET TO TRACKING RIGHT AWAY!" She lowered her voice but otherwise kept it at octave along with her pulsing veins. "I'm getting Kakashi and his hounds to join -" She paused there, having been thinking about this for awhile. Knowing Sasuke's patterns over the years, he would have come back sooner or later, and now that he was here, she took a damned good guess he wouldn't leave.

But why would Orochimaru be back here? Why was he so "kind" enough to finally seek out Sasuke?

"Ma'am?" one of the ANBU wearing a cat mask queried, and she snapped back to attention.

"I'm sending Naruto, Sakura, and Sai along. I won't take any chances if things will turn out to blow in our faces..."

~o~

She, Naruto and Hinata were all at her apartment when she was just recovering. Tomorrow she would be back at the hospital and to Lady Tsunade. The three of them - well, four, including Sarada who was very happy for being only a few days old. Hinata doted and cooed at her, rocking her and singing her some lullabies her mother used to sing to her and her baby sister Hanabi. The sight made Sakura relax a little more. She was still a bit tired to her bones, but she couldn't wait to get out of this house now.

 _Time to get back to my life now._

"She's the kind of baby I want to have someday," Hinata told them with a giggle, earning a nervous laugh from her live-in boyfriend who rubbed the back of his head. Sakura could only laugh as she continued to make them all lunch at the stove. It had also been half an hour since she'd changed Sarada. Being a mother after only a few days didn't seem all that bad - but that also meant full-time to be there. When Sarada would get a little older, she might always ask for this and that, but when she was just the age Sakura had been when she started to distance from her own parents, she might not need her mother anymore. She felt sad thinking about that before inner Sakura snapped her out of it.

 _ **Don't you bother thinking about that! It's too soon! Just enjoy the time you have with her!**_

She sighed, feeling a tear burn her cheek in a thin river. Damn post-partum making her hormonal. She fought so hard not to cry, and if Naruto pushed her buttons the wrong way, she was sure she'd kill him sooner than they both thought.

The door being knocked on made her snap. Growling through her teeth, she stomped over to answer it. "What do you want?" she snarled out at whoever was out there, then quickly snapped to her posture when she saw Kakashi standing there. "Oh, God, Kakashi - I'm sorry, I thought you were someone else!"

The masked ninja chuckled and scratched the back of his head. You'd think he and Naruto could actually be related like that. "Sakura, we've missed you - I take it post-partum is starting to kill you?" he asked, making her jaw drop. She NEVER told him she was pregnant! But before she could say a word, he was already there. "And before you ask how I know about the new kid, I had a hunch about your leave for four months, and my hunches are always right." She blushed, looking down before remembering she didn't know why he was here.

"Yeah - but what can I do for you?"

"I know Naruto is here, so can I tell you both?" As if on cue, the orange-and-black buzz was behind her, making her scream angrily and turn to punch him on the back of the head.

"Oh, hi...Kakashi," Hinata said softly as she joined them, Sarada gurgling in her arms and reaching out to Kakashi who looked down at her with a widened eye.

"Oh, she's cute -" He swallowed, not used to being in the presence of a baby. "- just like Sasuke." He could tell she looked just like her father, and that seemed to bring him back to business. "Naruto, Sakura - Lady Hokage wants you both back in business." He didn't seem to mind Hinata hearing about this because why would she betray them? Sakura felt her insides hardened and then turn to mush with realizing what he was going to say, what Tsunade wanted of them.

"Let me guess: Sasuke!" Naruto exclaimed with her in unison, before it was his solo turn. "He's here?" he said, almost at the top of his lungs. Kakashi nodded, but a grim air soon surrounded them when he went on.

"That's not all: Orochimaru is also here. To keep it short, he seems to have found a cure to turn Sasuke back into human form, but we must get to following them, since this won't be a simple turn-him-back-and-happily-ever-after, as you both are aware. I have a bad feeling about this myself..."

Sakura closed her eyes, knowing Naruto was doing the same and clutching his gut - but she reached behind her to take Sarada from Hinata. The baby looked up at her, sensing her mother's agony and whimpered, leaning into her heart. "Sasuke..." she whispered.

 _If you kill him, you snake, then I'll do so myself and risk my life just for Sasuke - and if Sarada loses both her parents, then I hope someone tells her both her parents were heroes._

~o~

 _About damned time Granny changed her mind about us going to get Sasuke._ Naruto was ecstatic, anxious and _livid_ at the same time. You could understand why he was excited; it was about damned time, but he was anxious because of the circumstances. Sasuke had been here all this time, and he knew it. Sakura told him about the blanket which had HIS family crest, which made him smile, though. Good thing the bastard's heart began to melt when he found out he had a baby that he never knew would come forth.

 _I think he must love his daughter. Why else would he make a blanket with his family symbol?_ He found himself wondering about Itachi, if he also knew about his niece. He hoped so...

And to explain his livid mode: Orochimaru was also here. Naruto growled through his teeth when Kakashi-Sensei told them all the snake was here, and that he'd been spotted with Sasuke by Captain Yamato and some ANBU. He'd clutched his gut with worry that they could kill Sasuke, or maybe both him and the snake, without any hope for his friend.

"He seems to have found a cure to turn Sasuke back into human form, but we must get to following them, since this won't be a simple turn-him-back-and-happily-ever-after..." Kakashi said, shaking his head, spelling doom in the beginning. Naruto had to speak to Kurama at once while they all hurried to prepare. In the background, he heard Sakura plead with Hinata to take care of her and Sasuke's little girl, should anything happen to both parents. He sniffed and wiped a tear from his eye. She didn't speak to HIM at all, but there was no pressure. Asking Hinata was also asking him.

"Yeah, Sakura," he said over his shoulder, "she'll know that she had awesome parents." This did earn a sort of sad smile from the petal-haired woman who would kill him and another if she wanted to.

 _I still don't get this post-partum thing that women have after having a baby, but I think this might help her fight that bastard with me. More anger and hate, the better._

 _ **Unless she becomes too rash and gets herself killed.**_

He frowned to himself. He had to agree. He didn't want Sarada to lose one parent or worse: both. He was determined to not let one or even both of that happen. If that was the last thing he did.

Team Kakashi was in the forest in no time, Captain Yamato accompanying them and filling them in on what was heard between Sasuke and Orochimaru. And what made Naruto giggle inside - just to avoid Sakura's wrath and the disapproval of the others - was the fact that the "Man-Beast" himself was seen high-tailing into the sky with Orochimaru. No way in hell he was saving the snake's life for the sake of it; he wanted that cure himself and didn't want the Leaf involved in his personal affair.

 _Sasuke...you just made this harder on yourself. You don't know if that stuff has something deadly in it. Too good to be true, remember? Just like he promised you power, and it turned you into a beast on the outside._

"Lady Hokage said to not harm either of them or kill them," Yamato told them, the frown making his brow crease, "but Sasuke evaded us with his Fire Style. Orochimaru still cannot use jutsu given the late Third Hokage sealed it away before he died." _That horrible day the bastard attacked our village, killed so many, marked Sasuke and took him away from us eventually..._

"They can't be too far away," Sai spoke up. "I sent beasts to scout. Kakashi, your hounds?" The masked ninja nodded his affirmative. _Pakkun and the other hounds are on the hunt, right. So we'll have no problem._

How could you be so optimistic at a time like this? Naruto could imagine getting his hopes too high only to be crushed. The past taught him that.

It wasn't long before Kakashi announced that they had company coming their way - _guess who,_ Naruto thought to the fox who growled.

 _ **Akatsuki - Itachi, who else? He did make that deal with the Snake Sannin, so he must be here to see that his end of the deal was sealed. Brace yourself for how he intends to deal with this.**_

~o~

"Why do you insist here?" Sasuke demanded hotly when they landed on a cliff high over the village, several miles from Hokage Mountain. He had his guard up, knowing full well that he could not allow it to be down. If Orochimaru wasn't playing with him...

"This is the perfect place without any further interruptions, Sasuke-kun. I thought that was what you wanted."

He clenched his fists at his sides. "Just tell me what you have done and then give it to me. I want my life back," he snapped, making the other man chuckle and shake his head.

Orochimaru's hand slipped somewhere behind his back, where he was sure the snake kept the hidden antidote. Killing Sasuke would be all too easy; he knew that good and well. After all these years, he still thought Sasuke too valuable to let rot and die. That was why he let him go after three years and having reached his body host limit by that time, right? "And what do you intend to do then, hm? Do you truly believe Tsunade's hand will be the only thing to keep you safe from harm's way? You think you can avoid execution for your beastly appetites?" the pale man taunted, pausing in his actions. "And given you have lived like this all these years, you can just magically take this and return to your old self without paying a price?"

 _Oh, yes - there's always a price, isn't there?_ "What's the catch?"

"This is a fifty-fifty bet, Sasuke. If my dear Tsunade were here, she would place a wager on that. But with that out of the way, I should tell you that, since you remember Kimimaro enough, I had help from his samples which I preserved long before you came along, and after you left. I spent years losing sleep trying to reverse the permanent effects of the Curse Seal which I admittedly failed at while you were under my care." He blinked; was there a...HINT of remorse in those yellow eyes, or was he just playing with him?

 _DNA extracted from Kimimaro's bone marrow during one experiment._

Given his _kekkei genkai_ allowed him to regrow his bones or harden them, Orochimaru thought to still use the marrow to create a serum that would allow Sasuke to turn back - however, said _kekkai genkai_ could also GREATLY effect Sasuke's life.

He gritted his teeth. This was a fifty-fifty possibility, as the other said. Orochimaru's thin lips were in a tight line. He knew what the old pervert was thinking: his life was on the line, and there was no going back now. If he didn't take this potion which the Sannin spent years trying to make for him, he was doomed as he'd been from the beginning. "Give it to me," Sasuke said, and the small murky gray vial was in his palm, and he wasted no time taking the cork off the lid. He held it between his forefinger and thumb as he raised it to his face. Past it, he glimpsed that Orochimaru's face softened, if his eyes remained slightly widened as if anxious for the effects.

Without further a due, Sasuke brought the vial to his lips.

 **"Oh, God" and the drumroll do NOT do this justice. (quivers) Will Team Kakashi and Itachi and his partner arrive in time? That is, IF the two opposite teams can come to an understanding.**


	20. A Race Against Time

Chapter Nineteen

A Race Against Time

"Leaf Village Shinobi are at nine o'clock," he told Kisame who tailed beside him with Samehada on his shoulder. Sharp teeth bared in a grin at his reminder. "And leave the speaking to me - and don't try to fight today. I have no intentions to leave a bloody mess when Sasuke and Orochimaru are my concerns."

"Whatever you say, boss," his partner said with a glint in his eyes. "But that reminds me: do you have a plan B if it doesn't go according to plan?"

Itachi felt his lips tighten. He'd made numerous sacrifices and losses of his own soul his entire life: he was only a boy when he made his first kill on the battlefield, graduated from the Academy before he turned eight, was placed into ANBU at the tender age of eleven, and gave it all up when he was but thirteen years of age. Not even a man, and he had become a rogue ninja by then. Now he was not yet even thirty, and he was worn to his bones. He would gladly turn himself in if today would be that day, but not if he would save his brother. For his _otouto_ 's sake, for Sakura's, and for the baby.

 _Today is the last day, and I feel it in my tattered heart. If I still have one..._

"It's best to combine forces, if they are willing to cooperate," he said at last to Kisame. "They don't have to trust or accept me, but I am willing to surrender to them after my brother is saved and the snake holds his bargain. I don't care what becomes of him after today. Sasuke is my concern. Whatever the outcome is, whatever will happen, will be out of my hands, but my niece deserves to know her father no matter what. And Sakura should not bear this burden alone even though she knows this is the outcome."

Kisame looked at him in dismay. "Surrender, eh? They will try and execute you for sure, my partner," he reminded him. "I'd hate to see that happen to you - and what you wanted of your little brother..."

"Sasuke doesn't have it in him to kill me. It's best I save his life and let my own perish after years in a filthy prison cell..."

It was by this time they arrived to meet with the party of Shinobi, and none other than Kakashi and his team. He had no need to smile - not even at Sakura-chan - when he and his shark-faced partner stood before them. There wasn't anger or hate in their gazes, though the lady herself was relieved to see him. Naruto looked like he had a lot of questions to ask, making Itachi sigh internally. _He knows..._

"Itachi," Kakashi spoke solemnly, "this isn't a good day to face you both..."

"No, it's not," he agreed. "We came back only for one reason and not Naruto or the Nine-Tails." He took his time to look them all in the eyes, then landing on Yamato whom he remembered well from his ANBU days.

"ANBU will take you and your partner down if you don't let us be on our way to Sasuke and Orochimaru -" the brunette started, but Itachi held up his hand.

"That is why I am here. My brother's life is in danger because of that demon - and it's my fault I played a part in this just like I did that night I killed our entire clan..."

~o~

He thanked Kimimaro for this - _your usefulness must pay off, my old favorite_ \- but as soon as the fluid vanished down Sasuke's throat, Orochimaru had to once more confess he was anxious for the results. He had been working tirelessly, in addition, to a cure in case anything fatal were to occur - but if that failed, there was indeed one other option.

If Sasuke was lucky, he would be free to go and would live the remainder of his days as he pleased.

However, if not, he would have a few months at most. The ones who died lasted three months but no more. The young man-beast threw the vial to the ground, flinching at the bitter taste. He looked at Orochimaru with a baring of his teeth as he licked his lips and swallowed the remainder.

"How long will it take to set in?"

"Given it is liquid form, no more than two -" Orochimaru was cut off when Sasuke suddenly squeezed his eyes shut and let out a pained groan through his teeth, clawed hands going to clutch at his stomach. The effects of the potion were working; this was a common side effect in both the failures and the one who succeeded. All they had to do was wait to see him change physically, but the Snake Sannin knew their current spot wasn't suitable.

He couldn't take Sasuke back to the lair, not like this. He knew he'd done enough to the boy as it was. _I'm becoming...soft on him._ He turned his gaze past the fallen, writhing form of Sasuke Uchiha, curling into himself, and sensed familiar chakra in the distance.

~o~

Naruto had to heave a sigh of relief. He hoped his eyes told the Uchiha what he was thinking: _It's so damned good to see you, Itachi. Sasuke needs us..._ If the man thought to nod, his red eyes simply returned the gaze before looking back at the others. Beside him, Kisame grinned his signature sharky leer that didn't make Naruto cower back. He was ready for a fight, but if Itachi could stop him, then the blond appreciated it.

"My brother's life is in danger," he said gravely, "because of that demon - and it's my fault I played a part in this just like I did that night I killed our entire clan." His eyes closed for a moment before reopening. "I have no right to ask you all of this, or of the Leaf because it's inexcusable, but I ask just this once to join together. For this one day..."

The pause was dramatic enough to draw perspiration as you awaited the inevitable - and what the rogue Uchiha said next set him off inside along with Kurama.

"...and after Sasuke is ensured alive and well, and Orochimaru taken in once and for all, I intend to surrender to answer for my sins."

He clenched his fists, knowing Sakura was reeling with horror internally as he was seething. _What the hell, Itachi!_ he raged, wanting so much to yell out. _You're not gonna turn yourself in! They'll put you to death when you are innocent! A real hero should never let himself be labeled as a bad guy!_

 _ **No one knows the truth, Naruto! This is HIS choice, not yours. And need I remind you: if you burst your bubble, then you put yourself and Sakura in danger of concealing the fact you both have been secretly in touch with a dangerous S-rank criminal and her child's father.**_ Naruto sighed in defeat. The last thing he wanted was Sakura in deep.

Kakashi spoke after a long time. "...you're giving yourself up," he stated. "What are you planning, Itachi?"

"Nothing," came the blank reply. "Only that Orochimaru has held his side of the deal we struck. However, I don't trust him if he had a trick up his sleeve, if this is all a scam that I came to ensure -" He was cut off by none other than Yamato, brisk as ever and slowly seeing that the rogue meant his word.

"We confirmed that Orochimaru did claim to your brother to have a cure to his humanity, but Sasuke escaped with the Sannin before we could take them both in."

"And if it's got a fatal surprise, we have to be on our way," Kakashi added. "My hounds are tracking them at this moment, but we don't have enough time to explain. Sasuke's life depends on it." And as if on cue, there was a small puff of smoke, and Pakkun stood before his master, ready to report.

Naruto was beside Sakura, turning halfway away from the Uchiha and his partner whom the hound regarded with a sniff of contempt but delivered: Sasuke and Orochimaru were last scented across the land some miles away - the putrid aroma of snake familiar to him and his companions - before they were on the move. His fellow hounds were still tailing them, he added. Either way, Sasuke and the snake weren't that far away.

"We might be too late," Yamato said, hanging his head in dismay, "if Orochimaru has given him the antidote..."

Naruto couldn't keep it in anymore. "Well, what are we waiting for? We head out now!"

They split up, as a good strategy to cover in case one target split or they both remained together. Naruto and Sakura were with Itachi while Kisame joined Kakashi and Yamato, and Sai took one of his great ink birds into flight. "How does it feel for the three of us to make things easier?" Naruto had to ask, the energy more than exciting because they might be the ones to come across the duo, and he was more than ready to kick the bastard's ass for Sasuke...

"Naruto," Sakura growled through her teeth, "this is Sasuke we're talking about! There's no time to be excited about anything!"

"She's right," Itachi agreed, taking the lead. "There is nothing particularly exhilarating about my brother's life. Orochimaru has been at work for some time now, but if it's only been one success rate, then we will not take chances." Naruto glared at the back of his head, pissed to his core.

"Oh, yeah, Itachi?" he countered hotly. "And come to think of it, you're so dead set on turning yourself in that you should know you're making a mistake!" Sakura hissed at him, but he ignored her. He didn't care that this was all long since covered up, but now was the time to stop running from truths and let them have their day, right?

Itachi turned his head halfway then, but nothing on his face changed. "Naruto, _enough,_ " he said firmly. He didn't seem surprised that Sakura would have told him this. "I've made my choices, I've done my duty as a Leaf Village Shinobi and accept my fate as I am now - and if I have to turn myself in just to save my brother, then I will. Even imprisoned for the rest of my life or executed if need be, then I will proudly die as Itachi Uchiha of the Leaf."

 _Even if it means being a traitor for the rest of your life!_ "LIKE HELL, ITACHI!" he roared, his temper snapped and threatening to let Kurama's wrath join with him. "YOU'RE NOT THE BAD GUY EVERYONE THINKS YOU ARE, AND YOU KNOW THAT! SASUKE DESERVES TO KNOW THE TRUTH! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO HIM BASED ON ORDERS AND AUTOMATICALLY ASSUME HE'D WALK THE SAME PATH AS US BOTH!" He jerked his head to his side where he knew Sakura finally decided she couldn't keep herself together, either.

"Yeah, what you did _for_ him," she argued, "because you were caught between your arrogant, discriminated clan who was going to take over the village, and the elders who stick to equal trivial - except one of them was good enough to die protecting this village just like you had done for us all and Sasuke!"

Itachi's voice cut through the air like the sharpest, finely made sword. "The both of you, _THAT IS ENOUGH!_ " he barked, eyes flashing with the Sharingan now. "I made my decision where it stands, and neither of you can make me change my mind. Just like you couldn't stop Sasuke all those years ago." Naruto reeled furiously.

"Sasuke was too tired to kill me - on a whim, he said! But to hell with that; I know he still CARES but won't admit it."

There was a long pause before the rogue Leaf ninja spoke again, this time softer than before. "Yes, even when push comes to shove, he wouldn't be willing to take the life of the one he comes to see as close even at the promise of power," he stated, making Naruto nod furiously. Now there was a smile tugging that corner of his mouth facing him and Sakura.

"My little brother is lucky to have you as a friend...and he's lucky to have you as the mother of his child, Sakura."

They had stopped running; they were close enough, with little time to spare, but they landed on thick tree branches a few feet apart. He and Sakura against the elder brother of the man they cared about even if he cut them off. Sakura's eyes were shining, but she didn't let the tears fall. He felt his eyes prick at the corners and whispered back. "And he's lucky to have you as a big brother, even though he hates you for it - but you did it all for good reasons."

~o~

 _The pain..._

 _So much pain..._

 _...can't move...can't fly..._

He clutched at his stomach and roared to the heavens, subsiding into wailing when something ate away at his insides - like living acid tearing him apart. He wanted to throw up but couldn't. Even if he did, it might be blood or something else, and he never got the chance to eat his rabbit when he killed it. Might as well let the blasted thing rot away since it had been awhile now.

"You b-bastard," he ground out, " _what have you DONE to me?!"_

Sasuke flinched when he felt arms - not bulky, lean - pick him up as though he were a woman and carried him as such. He snarled and thrashed only to be wracked by another wave of acidic agony. The contents of his stomach rose but didn't escape. "Don't you dare touch me!" Sasuke choked out, gritting his teeth so hard they threatened to shatter.

"Oh, Sasuke..." Orochimaru refused to look at him as they began to take flight his way. "...what makes you think I did this on purpose?"

One of his arms was wrapped around the other's shoulder. "You tested and succeeded with only one survival - and you couldn't do it on more to make sure the formula would ensure MINE!" he accused, dismayed that his death would come this way. He found himself thinking back on his life, on his successes and failures.

Starting with the worse.

 _I failed to kill Itachi._

 _I failed to save Sakura during the Chunnin exams, leave it all to Naruto._

 _I failed to kill Naruto._

 _I failed to avenge my clan._

 _I failed to slay Orochimaru myself._

And on top of it all, when today should have been his chance and given the last ten years of his life: _I failed to return to human form._ He choked and gasped, trying not to speak at Orochimaru's advisement. _But still, I may...try..._

He found himself looking up at the sky - at the vast, pure blue with the bright gold of the sun shining onto his face - and suddenly was awashed with bliss that brought a small percent of relief through his slowly decaying system. _But there are at least two accomplishments I don't regret: my daughter...Sarada...the hope to rebuild the clan. And in the last several months...Itachi...I showed him I was getting stronger. He actually told me..._

"Where...are we going?" was his last question before he took a few more breaths to calm down. There was a soft chuckle.

"To get the additional help you deserve. Sasuke-kun, you won't die right away, now that I recognize the symptoms - but you have a few months at most. I am getting all the unlikely help I can get just for you..." Those were the last words he heard before he passed out in Orochimaru's arms, a drugged smile tearing across his demonic face.

~o~

The three of them were hidden in the brushes when Itachi signaled for them to wait. The leader himself took the northern left, Naruto the right, and she was in the middle. She clutched at the dirt beneath her, getting some under her nails. It was the softest part amidst the dryer, rockier parts beneath her knees.

"He knew I would come on this day," Itachi had told them before they parted. "It's logical I be the one to greet him when he brings Sasuke." His mouth was in a painfully thin line that wasn't like him at all. She knew the guilt was eating him away inside. He brought this all on his brother in the first place, and the snake was also to blame. But Itachi had "bargained" for his brother's life. He'd also told them that there had only been one success by the time Orochimaru neared the deadline, so there hadn't been enough time to make much of any changes to the formula, which brought to life the terrible lump of dread in her heart...

 _Sasuke is going to die._

She tried not to think like that, but as a medical ninja, it was inevitable and possible. How often did anyone in Orochimaru's monstrous experiments survive, right? And how many now with his concoction of a cure to those trapped in the second stage of the Curse Seal? _Sasuke had been trapped for ten years; it has done so much to him, so the risks are fatal..._ A tear slid down her cheek while she crouched in her hiding place. Her gut wrenched, empty where Sarada had been for nine months. Hastily, she wiped it away.

 _ **Be strong, bitch, for Sasuke and Sarada!**_ her inner self fired up, and she shoved down her worries. If she had to, she would give up all her chakra life force for Sasuke if she lost him. That was how much she loved him. She would die without regrets, knowing he would find it in himself to be a great father to their daughter waiting at home for them. Naruto and Hinata would also take care of her, but Itachi would also turn himself in.

 _He's done enough to him, he said. He's doing this all for Sasuke. He's tired of being on the run. Everything he's done in life is draining him so much._

Sakura itched waiting; the familiar chakra presence of Sasuke and another's cold, deathly one - _Orochimaru_ \- wisped closer and closer...until finally the man himself appeared in the middle of the clearing, long black hair rippling in the wind picking up, and his pale serpentine face was grim, devoid of that grotesque smile of his. The air around had suddenly turned cold not only because of his presence, but because of the limp body in his arms which he carried bridal style. Sakura bit back a gasp, Naruto bared his teeth in a growl, and Itachi narrowed his eyes.

Sasuke lay in Orochimaru's arms, unconscious but still breathing - and _dying._

The snake-like man lowered his gaze to the peaceful, beastly face as he knelt on his knees, laying him down like he was a precious piece of dishware or something, something that the trio never thought they'd see, but how did they know this wasn't a ploy to lower their guards? But seeing Sasuke like that, the one they loved most, so broken like that, his lips parted slightly to show his teeth, his chest rising gently with each breath he took...

...and then a _miracle_ happened.

Sasuke's face contorted as he moaned and whimpered through his teeth, thrashing a little as his skin began to light up with the flames that she witnessed with Naruto in sheer horror in the Forest of Death, spreading throughout his body as the changes began to take place. His claws shrunk back into his fingers. The licking red-orange flames began to retreat to the left side of his body, the murky-toned flesh leaving behind a pallid complexion in its wake. The black cross-mark on his nose was gone. His purple-tinted lips returned to a soft peach. And his wild, blue-gray hair shortened but instead reached his shoulders, reverting to dark raven like his brother's.

The flames in his skin retreated to his left shoulder, suctioning back in and vanishing as if never happened. The Curse Mark itself was gone. _Vanished._

In the place of the man-beast they'd all known in months was none other than Sasuke Uchiha. Orochimaru had done one thing right; he'd restored him back...but there was still one deadly deal. The snake regarded the young man with a look of sympathy - Sakura saw it, as much as it sickened her, but it WAS there - before looking ahead.

"Show yourself, Itachi - and the baby rats with you."

 _He knew we were here with him all along._

 _ **Of course he did.**_

Itachi made his appearance known, before lifting his finger as the signal for her and Naruto to crouch behind him on either side. Golden serpentine eyes widened for a fraction before reverting to normal when he took in the two familiar faces.

"Of course...I never forget a face. Tsunade's little flower - should I add, Sasuke's delicate _kunoichi_? - and the Nine-Tails vessel himself."

Sakura felt her lips flare. "Shut up, snake!" she snarled. "You don't know what you've done to him, nor do you understand how he felt! This is all you've done: lead him on to cold blood and pain!" She glared at Itachi when he ordered her to quiet, but Naruto was on the verge of letting his Nine-Tails mode into the open. He ignored Itachi.

"You rotten bastard, we don't care that you're one of the legendary Sannin like Pervy Sage and Grandma Tsunade - you're going to pay for what you did to Sasuke!" he roared, making the pale man laugh now. _I need to step in. I won't let him get away with this,_ Sakura decided. _But my heart won't be in the way. It won't get me killed. I'll show him that I'm not "delicate"._ She stood up from her position and strode over to the snake, with her lover and father of her child laying between them, moaning.

"Where is that four-eyed pet of yours?" she asked.

Orochimaru's smile slowly left by one corner of his mouth. "Oh, Kabuto is currently having fun with your Sensei and his companions," he answered casually. "I made it explicitly clear to not kill them, since today there will not be blood spilled."

Behind her, she could have sworn she heard Itachi whisper Kisame's name, knowing his partner was with Kakashi and Yamato. At the last part, she reeled. "No blood spilled? Coming from what you're known to do best on the battlefield and in your stinking laboratories," Sakura pointed out. "Just what you've done now, and you're going to pay for this. You've got more than enough on a list as long as the river runs. Nothing you've done will excuse whatever pathetic excuse you have for this..." She lowered her eyes to where the man she loved was no longer writhing, but his face had relaxed, and he was breathing evenly. Her heart was cracking again. It took her back to the day she held him as he thrashed and burned under the effects of the newly branded Curse Seal which was no longer there.

 _The potion took it away for good._

"Step back, Sakura."

"Itachi!" She did as he asked, watched as he knelt before his brother and took him into his arms. Sasuke stirred in response. He was coming to. Orochimaru watched with interest, and Naruto was in a buzz on the other side of the elder Uchiha as his younger sibling slowly opened his eyes and found themselves looking into the stricken eyes of his big brother.

His voice cracked. " _A-aniki..._ "

"SASUKE!" Naruto's voice made him flinch. "You're not going to die on us! We promised you, remember?!"

All attention was on Orochimaru again whom Sakura reached to grab a kunai behind her back. "In order to do that, _Jinchuuriki,_ you will have to have me involved. As you all said, I brought this on him."

"I will not disagree with you on that," Itachi said vehemently, holding his brother's shivering form closer to his cloaked self, almost like he was a swaddled infant with the promise of protection, "but it is also on me at this point. I had always known it would come to this, but as his brother, I am still honoring to protect him." Sasuke shuddered audibly and clutched at him, on the verge of crying now. He looked like the helpless child he used to be. The sight made Naruto crack and reach out to touch his shoulder; Sasuke didn't even shrug him off. He was too weak to do much of anything.

"Itachi," he whispered, maybe purposefully ignoring his rival/best friend, "I'm s-so cold..."

There was a shine of a tear down the elder's cheek as he bent down and placed a brotherly kiss on the cold forehead, as if afraid of breaking him somehow. "Forgive me, _otouto._ "

Sakura rounded on the snake now, fed up and wishing to get them all out of here now that the fun was over. All she cared about was Sasuke - but it seemed Orochimaru wasn't done toying with her. "Sakura...you might be able to save him this way, but not without me," he reminded her, and when she finally drew out her kunai, she pointed it at his throat. He didn't even retaliate, only hummed.

"You make one wrong move - and you die in a heartbeat by my hand." _And I swear to the gods and my lady, I won't miss. She might thank me for this._

Orochimaru's eyes shone with bemusement. "You really _are_ like Tsunade, Sakura-chan."

 **Just think back to the time Naruto, Sakura, Yamato and Sai confronted Orochmaru and Kabuto - only avoid the Four-Tailed Kyuubi mode vs Orochimaru. (heaves a heavy sigh) Man this chapter was so hard to do, but I hope it was worth it. Next will definitely be the grand climax, and after that the epilogue. :D Reviews appreciated.**


	21. Cure of the Heart

**Before we begin, I'd love to take the moment and say that it was a hell of a challenge to try and understand WHY Orochimaru was hell-bent on saving Sasuke's life the way he did - I know what you all must have been thinking. He took advantage of Sasuke's pain and made him abandon his comrades and such, turned him into a monster - and then I reached the moment when Orochimaru returned later in season 15, and Sasuke owned his ass, showing him he wasn't the boy he and Itachi manipulated anymore. :D After that, having stopped early in season 18 (due to damned lack of more English dubs, but I'll gladly wait ;D), I've come to the idea that will present itself here.**

 **Enjoy.**

Chapter Twenty

Cure of the Heart

 _Wow...Sakura sure is scary when she's angry._

To see her standing against the notorious Snake Sage made his flesh creep as much as it hurt more than anything to see Sasuke in his brother's arms, human again but dying. His cheeks scalded as he couldn't control his emotions. Sasuke was in his big brother's embrace like he'd been in Naruto's all those years ago when Haku's lethal crystal ice jutsu encased them both.

 _Sasuke...you can't die. We just got you back. Hold in there, buddy..._

 _ **The poison is extracted from Kimimaro. I know it is; I can smell it from where I am now. Who else with powerful regenerative abilities other than Orochimaru's prized bone-chiller?**_

 _Bone-chiller...you got me right there, Kurama. But speaking of chilling, Sasuke is -_

 _ **Yes. He doesn't have long to live...but look at how the**_ **kunoichi** _ **is handling the serpent scum himself,**_ Kurama pointed out with a rumble in his throat. _**She is standing up to him. She will follow through on her word. See if she will kill him for her lover if she must...**_

The kunai was at the snake's throat when she threatened his life. "You make one wrong move - and you die in a heartbeat by my hand," Sakura snarled, angling it so the handle was in the air and tempted to pierce that small area and let a little blood be drawn. Naruto could see the bloodthirsty glaze in those irises, like green lava.

"You really _are_ like Tsunade, Sakura-chan," Orochimaru told her, eyes twinkling with his smile. Naruto bared his teeth, lips drawing back, before he let it relax. _Yeah, she's Granny's protégé...just like I am Pervy Sage's..._ He stopped there, unsure if he should dare to bring Sasuke and this bastard into the mix -

 _"What happened between you and Sasuke was meant to be."_

 _It all_ was _, Pervy Sage._

Naruto looked into Itachi's gaze, seeing the closed eyelids and the shining of tears streaking his lined cheeks. Whereas those lines made Itachi look older, now he looked younger than he was as he wept over his dying baby brother...he shared Naruto's pain in fear of losing this one. His mind was on the whirls: Teme... _don't you dare die on us...don't you leave Sakura like this...Sarada needs the father who made her...she doesn't deserve to grow up a loner like I did..._

 _...but Hinata and I also promised Sakura._

 _Sasuke...you have a promise to keep yourself._

Suddenly, Sasuke's eyes opened. The obsidian irises were glazed over with visible excruciating pain, and he stifled another gasp. Now his gaze darted to his right, where Naruto hovered over him. If he was going to speak to him like a bastard again, then damn the pain he was in. Naruto planned on giving him more...

"Dobe...my baby..." he croaked, making blue eyes widened. He must be delirious enough that he suddenly was thinking about his daughter. He wanted to see Sarada, but she wasn't here. How could Naruto answer him when his friend was on the verge of death? How could he tell that to a father wanting to see his child one more time before -?

"I'm - sorry, Sasuke. She's safe with Hinata." To his surprise, a weak smile graced the younger Uchiha's features...and then he reached out feebly and took Naruto's hand into his.

"T-thank you," he breathed before closing his eyes once again.

 _Damn it, we are running out of time!_ "Sakura, if you're not going to kill the bastard, then we have to get a move on!" As if on cue, they were all startled by the appearances - or not-so-surprising appearances - of none other than Kakashi-Sensei, Captain Yamato, and Kisame as well as Sai on one of his birds, with Kabuto in front of him. _If only they'd killed the four-eyed bastard before they got here,_ Naruto wished. "You guys made it in time!" He shifted off to the side so they could all take in the pitiful sight of Sasuke restored to human form, but weakening every minute that passed.

Orochimaru didn't put up a fight when he smiled at them all. "He won't make it without me," he told them all slyly, "because I have done this to him, after all." At the same time, several ANBU buzzed around him and Sakura. She lowered her weapon and stepped back - but not before leaving him a small but painful gash across his cheek. He hissed and flinched, but that was it. It made Naruto sniff a laugh to himself. Served him right, but if only she struck him in the balls; now THAT was scary for a woman to do to a man.

"Orochimaru," was the collection from all ANBU as they closed in on him, expecting him to put up a fight, but he only continued to smile and allow a pair of chakra-suppressing handcuffs be placed on him behind his back. He didn't break eye contact with Sakura at all; she regarded him with utter contempt and looked between the small gash she made on his cheek and the lingering dark blood on her blade which she put back without so much as cleaning it. The bloodlust remained in her eyes.

And now the attention was on... "Itachi and...Sasuke Uchiha." The dismay and surprise was clear in their voices before it was regained back to cool control, but Yamato stopped them all.

"The traitor himself is coming with us voluntarily. And his brother must be taken to Lady Hokage immediately."

One of the masked men wearing a fox mask snorted. "And pray his judgment will be passed on for betraying the Leaf Village...like his brother." Itachi gave no expression other than flaring his Sharingan eyes with clear hatred for the talk they were giving about his brother moreso than himself. The utter helplessness in his bloody gaze made Naruto remember his own sense of helplessness as he stood with the older Uchiha who carried Sasuke like a bride, the younger's head lolling against the strong, cloaked chest and releasing a soft breath of air.

 _Hang in there, Sasuke...just hang in there. Don't make me keep on begging._ He followed behind his old sensei, with both teammates and their additional help - and Kisame had long since vanished from sight, however he did THAT - and both Kabuto and Orochimaru guarded with extreme care - with Itachi Uchiha carrying his dying brother in his arms in the lead. This was because he was all the more desperate to get Sasuke the help he needed, and also because he was not trusted to be behind them all.

Dare Naruto add he and Sakura were just as desperate?

~o~

The village crowded with horror at the sight they were greeted with when ANBU arrived with Orochimaru - one of their greatest adversaries who almost completely destroyed their beloved village on more than one occasion - and his right hand in tow, guarded heavily while Kakashi Hatake's team were right behind none other than the traitorous Itachi Uchiha -

\- with his brother Sasuke in his arms. Losing his grip on life, they could see. Some were elated to see that; they spited him for his betrayal, leaving them all, and who knew what uproar would come when - _if_ \- he was successfully revived. He hadn't even tried anything to attack them directly, but the fact he'd abandoned them for the S-rank rogue Sannin himself. But they didn't know he had been the fearsome "Man-Beast of the Wild"...

 _Thank the stars Lady Tsunade destroyed the semen match before today, for him. She had the faith I do that we could get to today. Wrong as it was, everyone goes to hell at some point. Shinobi are never perfect._ Sakura stared at the back of Itachi's head, dismayed that the awaited day had come for him now. Her face pained with the stoic expression she put on for all to see. Naruto was trying not to crack either. Yamato and Sai were somber as ever, and Kakashi's revealing eye was enough to tell her how he was taking everything.

The uproar began that it made her erupt inside and tried not to let loose the wild mama side of her.

"..traitor!"

 _"Murderer!"_

"MONSTER!"

Sakura drowned out every word and instead focused on the lolling head of Sasuke on the other side of his brother's body as Itachi carried him like a new bride across the threshold of the village. Itachi either ignored the spitting fire around him or he just pretended not to hear. Naruto leaned in to whisper to her.

"They're so ignorant," he hissed. "Only we can't do a damned thing about it, huh?" She sighed sharply and nodded. _It is what it is, and we have to accept it._ Once they passed the mixed reviewing crowd, they arrived at the gates to Hokage Tower where Lady Fifth herself and the medical team were waiting. She regarded Itachi with a wary eye as she motioned for the masked medical ninjas to pry his brother's body from his embrace, but not before he softly spoke some words to her which caused her brow to twitch with confusion and affirmation.

 _He's asking her to please save his brother. I'm not an idiot._ She nodded to her sensei and joined, Orochimaru pausing in front of her momentarily, and Tsunade narrowed her eyes at both him and Kabuto. Sakura turned to look behind her and felt her heart crack at what she saw.

Itachi was being surrounded and bound with sealing tags as well as cuffs. He shared a brief look with her before his dark eyes, devoid of the Sharingan, were covered by the tags. A small smile was at one corner of his mouth. How could you smile at a time like this - or at anything like _this?_

The pained moan of her lover on the stretcher - tied at the ankles and wrists in addition - made her look back down at Sasuke's face, and she did the honors of pulling the oxygen mask over his face. She wanted so much to touch his forehead or run her fingers through his hair, back to its original raven, still wild and spiky but now reaching his shoulders. If she did that, she'd receive the backlash. Sarada did not deserve shamed parents, and she didn't need to have the treatment turned on her.

 _What am I going to tell her when she grows up?_

Sakura put the big, terrible question to the back of her mind so she could focus on her man and father of their child.

~o~

His vision was covered by sealing tags, and he had one around his cuffed wrists so he wasn't a major threat. Uncomfortable as it was, he welcomed it but knew they would remain over his eyes when he would be taken to confinement. They made sure to take the precaution and ensure his "malevolent" Sharingan wasn't active. _Like I have intentions to spring free - or if Kisame would have it in himself to slip in undetected and bring me away. But he wouldn't disrespect my wishes when I say I am done running._

 _Kisame, it was an honor to be your partner._

He was never one for sappy sentimentality, but the shark man would tell him it had also been an honor. Now he would go wherever the wind took him.

Itachi found himself stopping, having not uttered a word or even responded to the coldest, cruelest things he heard spoken about himself - but he came extra close to losing his cool at half the things said about Sasuke. _They are saying he deserves to be locked up with me, he should be banished...he should be confined for the rest of his life until his corpse is found with mine._ He gritted his teeth, clenching his fists at the same time. He dare not breathe a word to Kakashi or even Yamato; neither man trusted him, not that he wanted them to, but a long time ago, he considered the Copy Ninja a friend in ANBU...

"Itachi Uchiha - about time." _Ibiki Morino._ "Take him in and keep those tags on his eyes. We can't have him putting our best in that psychological nightmare of his, can we?" he sneered to the rest. Itachi swallowed, keeping himself together. The wrist cuffs were released, but he soon found himself chained to the wall and placed with more sealing tags. He was that much of a menace in their eyes. He didn't resist, didn't send a fiery remark - he just let them bind him and inform him that in three days he would be taken to interrogation and be under Yamanaka's mental probing jutsu.

 _They will find out the truth. They'll know everything._

Now Itachi could feel his blood running cold. As soon as his jailers and eventual interrogators - and the one he could maybe still consider a friend even if the other didn't - were gone, he succumbed to the rising dam. He felt the burning streaks of salt burn his cheeks, and he bowed his head forward to sob quietly. His chains rattled as he drew his knees to his chest, having been stripped of his Akatsuki cloak and his scratched headband which earned a sneer of his treachery and defilement, and let himself drown in fear for the entire village once again...and for his beloved _otouto._

~o~

Three very interesting fugitives finally taken in - interesting depending on each one. First of all, the one whom she once cared about as a friend before he turned and murdered their sensei, wreaked havoc on this village she loved, and nearly killed her and Naruto as well as Jiraiya and Shizune - both him and that four-eyed runt of his would both be behind bars under TIGHT security damned good and well after this...

By "this", she referred to Sasuke Uchiha himself. Having ordered Shizune to shred the recorded proof of the semen match months ago, she knew she'd condemned herself for this. But now that Ibiki Morino intended to interrogate him, she had to suppress a heavy breath. Sasuke would not be protected once the scarred man found what he was looking for through Inoichi Yamanaka, and the Snail Princess knew what it would do to Naruto and Sakura. She knew her hands would be tied - and he was not the only one subjected.

 _Itachi Uchiha is finally locked up. But what he asked of me..._

 _"Please protect my brother however you can, Lady Fifth."_

 _I have no reason to trust him. How can I, when he slaughtered his entire clan and betrayed us all, joined the Akatsuki...?_

Tsunade pursed her lips as she pondered this. Why would one of Konoha's most notorious, lethal fugitives ask her to...? She stopped her train of thought there as she downed down her second cup of sake. Shizune had frowned as she was prone to, but the woman needed it because of the progress made thus far with Sasuke Uchiha in the emergency ward today. Orochimaru and Kabuto assisted and was kept under lock and key during night hours. Shizune threatened both pairs of balls if one of them tried anything outside operation and examination of the dying young Uchiha.

 _His organs have only a few months to survive - notably the kidneys and stomach contents. This means a very complex organ transplant; we'd have to get a legal means to obtain what he needs, but that would take months. Orochimaru said he has only three months to live. Unless he can conjure up some forbidden miracle to get Sasuke's donor..._

She exhaled sharply. Just...for once...could he be the man she knew a long time ago and show even a _small_ amount of compassion...? _Sakura reminds me of myself, Naruto is Jiraiya, so Sasuke must remind Orochimaru of himself...I hope that, deep down, that snake cares about him...I just want to believe it so much._ She clenched her fists before herself, on the verge of crushing the cup in her grasp.

Back to the elder brother now who was currently in detention for three days until Ibiki would bring in the mental prober himself, Ino's father - and the Hokage had to stop herself from going down the wrong path. Panicking never got anything right.

The night was settling in by this time she was broken out and disturbed by severe knocking on the door. Growling, she yelled for whoever was on the other side to come in - and she had to admit she was stunned by the surprise visitor. "Konohamaru, what brings you here at this time?"

The grandson of her sensei collapsed to his knees, apparently after exhaustion from running. In his hands was a book - was it a _journal?_ She frowned and stood from behind her desk to walk around to him. Behind him was none other than the two ANBU guards whom he had to scream and get through to her now. "Lady Hokage," the young man panted, and behind him, his two friends were watching with wide, eager eyes to see how events would play out. Konohamaru wiped his sweaty brow with one hand and extended the book to her. Tsunade took it from him and read the cover; a journal it was, and it belonged to Sarutobi himself. She noted the purple silk mark, then looked at Konohamaru when he spoke again, clearing his throat.

"Itachi Uchiha is innocent. Just read what my grandpa wrote in the marked spot..."

~o~

When she returned home at nightfall, Naruto and Hinata were waiting for her at her apartment. She really needed to see them after spending hours dealing with Orochimaru himself and her Sasuke being placed to machines and attached to tubes, the oxygen mask aiding in his oxygenation. But machine work and artificial liquids could only do so much...and in the end, an organ donor was in order.

 _Stomach..._

 _Kidneys..._

 _And he has three months, according to Orochimaru. We need compatible donors. We may never get them in time._

What was worse: she loathed being in the presence of the man who did this to Sasuke. If only he'd - if only he had done more than one success, then Sasuke would still be able to survive. But then she'd overheard some of the staff whispering to each other that _Ibiki Morino_ planned to "question" Sasuke as soon as he recovered - but that was an if, and the man was aware of that. First, his focus was on Itachi who was locked up at this very moment. Sakura knew she couldn't visit without rousing suspicions.

She knew that everything was over. For her...for Sasuke...for Itachi...for all of them. It was hopeless. Once the truth about the "Man-Beast" was out, Sasuke would be imprisoned until he died or be executed. Her stomach rolled; once again, she was going to have to tell their daughter when she grew up...Sarada would be tainted by everyone around her because her father had been a "monster". Her stomach eroded. As for the mother herself, she would be called a whore. Her reputation was shattered; she knew this long before the day would come...

"It's finished," Hinata told her sadly, seeing it all in her eyes. She gently rocked Sarada, causing her to grunt and pump her little fists. "Sasuke..."

Sakura slumped into a chair and stared numbly ahead. "He's dying, and three months isn't enough to get organ donors," she said, barely audible to her own ears. "And when Ibiki Morino's team gets their hands on his psyche, they'll see it all..." _And he'll be taken away from his own family, the only one he has left. Even if he does make it alive, the village will shun him and treat him no better than they once treated Naruto._

Naruto slumped forward beside Hinata, face in his hands. "Yeah," he moaned, "we lose him after only just getting him back. Now the poor kid..." He stopped himself then and there. "Damn that bastard - and damn the ones who made Itachi as the bad guy! Then none of this would have happened to Sasuke!"

Sakura Haruno wasn't a diplomat, but she knew this: _But Itachi did prevent Konoha from falling into the hands of the Uchiha. It would have spelled disaster for us all...why does everything have to be such shades of gray? It's not black and white, but it's so complicated. I want to say yes, Naruto, I agree with you...but it's been done. A ninja is one who endures no matter what._ But why did it feel like those words they had been taught since they were young children were nothing but an old worn-out article of clothing?

She found herself remembering when she had to speak to Orochimaru before he was taken away. She had to know...

 _"Why are you so keen to save Sasuke? You still want him as your next body? Are you still in your delusions, snake? He's dying because of you!"_

 _"Yes, I will not deny it...but I am here because I don't wish to see him like this any longer, Sakura-chan. He reminds me too much of myself."_

 _"Is that all - he reminds you of yourself? You and Sasuke have NOTHING in common -!"_

 _"You are wrong once more, my dear. Your Sasuke and I have so much more in common. I did not only take advantage of his inner demons which he could not face that the pathetic swine of the Leaf could not advance him towards - look what happened when he did encounter his dear brother before Sasuke came to me of his own will. I did not savor the change that he never escaped; even if anyone else never made it before he, I was pleased that the second surviving Uchiha would survive the fatal Curse Mark. Sasuke is just like I am: a survivor. He wanted more, like me. He wanted to become stronger, more powerful so he could kill his brother, while I sought every jutsu and immortality so I could continue. We were doomed to this existence from the beginning. You need not agree with me, Sakura-chan, but I am telling the truth."_

 _Oh, gods...in his own twisted way, he sees Sasuke as the son he never had. In a demented way, his own way..._

Her head was beginning to pound, no matter how hard she tried to deny it. The snake said it as it was, vile and seductive as he was - no, she was by no means attracted to him. But that was what serpents did: they charmed and devoured the prey when it was too late. But he was right: Sasuke lived in darkness like he. And numbly, she nodded now, to herself and to him even though he wasn't before her like before. She then remembered how she and Sasuke paralleled to her sensei and the snake.

 _"He pierced my side, and I was willing to die for him."_

 _"Tsunade put herself on my own blade trying to protect your friend Naruto - as I have said before, you are just like her."_

 _Both my lady and myself placed our lives on the line for our friends and loved ones._

Sakura looked down at her baby in her arms, this miracle conceived between her and Sasuke, and wept happily, leaning down to kiss Sarada's forehead and inhaling her sweet skin. "Don't worry, baby - your daddy will make it." _If Orochimaru can help conjure up a miracle..._

~o~

"Itachi."

"Kakashi." He recognized the voice, surprised and wondering if it was time for the mental interrogation already. It had not even been a day or night, and he had passed out from emotional and mental exhaustion, fearing for Sasuke when he was alerted that he had a visitor. "What do you wish to get from me?" _Obviously, no friendly or social calls,_ he thought wryly - and the response he got was not what he anticipated.

"Konohamaru Sarutobi discovered something very...vital about you and took it up with Lady Hokage last night. Why did you let yourself become a rogue, because you saved the entire village, Itachi?"

 _They know about the mission from the Elders...they know the truth..._

His body doubled over, and a part of him felt like hacking up before he held himself together. This manner of discovering his secret mission that the Third Hokage, Danzo and the cynical counselors themselves...how did the late Sarutobi's grandson find out?! "How?" was all Itachi could ask, clenching his fists around his knees against his chest. "This was never supposed to be discovered..."

Another voice entered the air, none other than - "You're a savior to this village, and yet this pushes the boundaries of how a Shinobi should be!" Tsunade cut in. "You prevented another full-scale war, a possible dictatorship from your own clan - yet you let the burden turn you into a creature of darkness in the eyes of the rest of the world! You welcomed it long enough! We have the proof that you can return to us and clear your name!" she insisted vehemently.

"You don't understand, my lady," Itachi said wearily, feeling his loosened, unkempt hair fall on either side of his face, half masking him from her and Kakashi's sight. "If this gets out, the Uchiha name is tarnished. It was all to protect both the village and my little brother in hopes that he would never turn out like me or any of the arrogant members of our clan. I failed him, and look what became of him -" He was cut off heatedly by the passionate lady who took a couple steps into the cell, her heels clicking with her words.

"That matters not! You covered for that geezer Danzo and the others - but my own sensei who lost his say in the matter - and the attempt over this very village my grandfather had built with your ancestor! It was you who kept it from falling into the wrong hands! This is all going to end very soon, and you will not owe the village any more like this! You should be proud!"

 _But I am proud. I am proud this village continues to stand tall and strong - and I am proud of my little brother for finally becoming the man I wanted him to. I'm proud of him above all else - but I am disappointed in myself for allowing myself to be manipulated, to be used and never had a say in any matter._ "I am," he said softly, "but I should die as penance. I let myself be taken in because I am tired of running. I have fulfilled a lifetime as a loyal Leaf Shinobi and then taken in as part of a criminal organization - neither of which was a choice in the matter of mine. Sasuke should have killed me, but he never could - as I could never bring myself to kill him. It was because I loved him, and even though he has not told me so, I know he still loves me as the kind and gentle older brother he once believed I was." When he was finished, he instantly became aware of another tear down his cheek that he was never aware of.

But the Lady Fifth herself was too ferocious a woman to be talked down to, too strong-willed to care about his pathetic attempts to remain locked up and allowed to die the traitor he never was. "Itachi Uchiha," she said hotly with much authority, "I am the Fifth Hokage, and I am not saying this just because of my title and position. This village survived based on a long-lived secret that ate away the one who saved it - and it even let his loved one he made loud and clear he would always protect no matter what rot away and paid for it. You really wish that any longer on Sasuke or anyone else? You wish to just die in a place like this?" She paused to sigh heavily.

"I am going to get my hands on those two remaining old fools if it's the last thing I do. Danzo is dead, as you must be aware, along with the one you asked to watch over your brother. Also, Sasuke is in good, capable hands; Sakura and I won't rest until his life is preserved. When that is done, the rest will be up to you."

"What are you talking about?" Oh, he knew, deep down, where this was going...

"In the near future, when I intend to step down as Hokage...I will put your name as the next candidate."

~o~

 _"...Sasuke...please...!"_

 _"...don't kill me!"_

 _"...you can stop if you want to..."_

 _"...it hurts...!"_

 _SHUT UP, SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UUUUUUUP!_

His eyes flew open, his lungs constricting and his heart rapidly beating as he struggled to breathe. When he looked ahead, he saw a plain white, tiled ceiling. "Gods..." was all he could gasp out as he got himself under control. The tempo within his body was erratic as he continued to remember what he had been entrapped in, for what felt like an eternity...

 _The faces..._

 _The voices..._

 _...every single one of them..._

 _KARIN. Her above all of the nameless ones._

His body shook with powerful waves, his throat tearing as he began to wail and sob. He couldn't control himself. There was no way to describe the pain he was in. He had been in and out of darkness and hungry decomposition for who knew how long. He was so cold, wishing there was a warm body to hold him, pitiful as the words of choice sounded, but it was _true._

 _The pain is gone...it's done._

A hand touched him, his bare skin - soft fingers caressed his shoulder before squeezing to pull him out of his lamentations. Gasping sharply, he jerked to his left to gaze into a familiar pair of frightened green eyes. Next to them was familiar bright blues comically broadened as he'd never seen him like this. Sasuke found he was unable to control his thundering heartbeat, a hiccup he stifled turning into a throaty laugh.

He was gazing upon the faces of Naruto and Sakura - the ones who never gave up on him.

He remembered it now: being in the arms of Orochimaru before passing out - then awaking again to find himself in his brother's embrace, feeling chilled to his bones and weak, before finding himself holding the hand of Naruto, the one he could never kill, then begged to see his baby daughter whom the dobe promised was safe and away from here, from the monster before them...

...and now he was here, in a hospital bed with the loser and the mother of his child over him. Now his attention shifted to see the _others:_ Shikamaru, Tenten, Neji and Hinata, Choji and Ino along with Sai in her hand, Lee, Shino, as well as Kiba and _Akamaru?!_ The last time Sasuke saw that little white mutt, he was atop his master's head; now he'd grown to full wolf-like form. It made him want to laugh, but instead it made him cough a little. All of them regarded him with mixed expressions: half were happy to see him again, but half with Shikamaru included had no reason to trust him yet, and that was fine with him.

 _What happened? What had they done - no, what had_ Orochimaru _done?! That bastard said he'd help..._

Did it matter now? He was going to _live._ He had a reason to let a small smile show of gratitude - but he had to give something in return eventually.

"Sakura," he said finally, finding his voice. She bowed her head, holding his hand now, which he now noticed was strapped down, as were his ankles. Precaution, which made him snort. Of course, everyone had reasons to make sure he didn't try anything. But what had happened, and how long had it been...?"

" _Teme,_ it's not even been three months, and you're alive!" Naruto told him with a beam, uncaring of the critical eyes of the crowd. "That snake did keep a good promise, and I never thought he would."

Shikamaru snorted. "Like I could trust a criminal like Orochimaru for anything like this - and after all these years, Sasuke Uchiha, don't expect a warm welcome from me."

"That's fine with me," Sasuke replied, returning the look. Neji narrowed his eyes, and Shino continued to look at him with unreadable, glaring sunglasses over his eyes. Tenten looked off to the side, unsure of what to do, and Lee was struggling to say something regarding youthful happiness and one of their own returning to them. Hinata gave him a soft smile and a brief wave, Ino a slight nod of the head as she couldn't get flirtatious because of her husband next to her. What could Sasuke say about his replacement who only returned a blank look to him?

Choji was busy munching on his favorite chips the Uchiha remembered from childhood. "Good to have you back," he said after a swallow. Sasuke nodded back before looking up at Sakura who instantly went into full Medical Ninja mode and explained that it had been difficult to get him a donor for stomach organs and kidneys, as well as cleansing his blood of lingering poison from the bone marrow extract, but he'd tuned out half of it, only relieved that it had been a success...but only half.

 _They'll take me in now. I have to answer for everything._

But what about his _aniki? Itachi..._

As if on cue with his thoughts, fate was on his side when he heard the voice of the one whom he once hated with a passion. The one who never paid attention to him, always flicked his forehead and said "forgive me" before running off - then took their family and clan away, left him as a...

" _Otouto._ "

Itachi stood there with Kakashi and Yamato behind him - was that the Lady Hokage behind him, with the light shine of blonde hair? His brother was dressed in ordinary clothing, devoid of any prisoner bindings. It made the younger frown at him. _What is going on...?_

The sight of Sarada in his arms, wrapped in her blankets, cooing and grunting, made him alight. He felt a tear slip down his cheek. How long had he wanted to see her again, hold her? But how could he ask to have his arms released when the answer was obvious enough? "Itachi, let me see her," he said softly, before the baby was placed near his face. Her soft, cherubic face looked up at him, and her mouth opened with a toothless smile and a coo, reaching out to him again and touching his cheek. He closed his eyes, ignoring the others around him and concentrating only on his daughter's innocent, loving touch...

...and then it was over when Naruto had to speak up. "Well, Itachi, are you going to tell him the good news?"

"Naruto." His brother didn't raise his voice or growl, but the warning was there. Interest piqued, Sasuke opened his eyes again and looked at the unreadable conflict in Itachi's eyes. Now he deserved to know what happened while he was in a "coma".

"Itachi, what is he saying?" he demanded.

The older Uchiha closed his eyes and sighed. He held Sarada close to him for a moment before handing her over to her mother. He had the feeling the village knew the truth, but right now, he needed to hear what Itachi had to say. What else had he'd kept from his younger brother now? He felt old anger resurface the longer the elder continued to hold his silence... "ANSWER ME!"

"Sasuke..." Itachi's voice was softer than before. "...it's time I told you the truth about the night I took out every member of our clan..."

Sasuke felt like he was having an out-of-body experience the entire time Itachi told him the story, with the others around and standing with attention. Sakura had given Sarada to Naruto so she could help Tsunade adjust the tubes and liquids that kept the patient himself hydrated. Yamato and Kakashi were leaning against the wall and eyeing Itachi intently with weary disbelief in their eyes, and Sasuke knew why.

 _Naruto and Sakura knew all this time but never told anyone - or even ME._ He didn't know whether to feel angry or betrayed. He was too confused right now, too deep in dismay. All these years he'd thought the Uchiha clan was proud and great, but now...

"...you're a hero, Itachi," he breathed out, more tears pouring down his cheeks. _He did all of that to protect me and this village - but the ones who controlled it put him through this. Our father, the clan, the elders...but Itachi asked the Third to watch over me. He wanted me to take a different path from him...and he feels like he failed me._

"Yeah, your brother saved us all!" Lee agreed, clapping his hands, and soon the air was filled with concurring chatter that sounded like a buzz to Sasuke's senses...but one thing did make it to his ears crystal clear.

Itachi was going to be the village's next Hokage.

His heart began to cry rather than he himself. Seeing this, apparently, Lady Tsunade suddenly raised her voice and ordered everyone out - except herself, her apprentice and Itachi himself who was going to take the leader's mantle soon. Half of him wanted to object, because why should his brother continue to help and serve this village that caused him so much pain like this? Itachi did not owe anymore to this -

He looked up at Sakura who leaned in over him, and he breathed in her scent. She'd been amongst to help perform the hunt for his donations and the surgery, cleansed his impure system - but how could he be pure when his psyche recalled the depraved actions he committed even though it wasn't his own choice? He wanted to say he didn't deserve her...

Why was he thinking about this now after having awoken and revived? Human again, in her arms again and his brother cleared...but Itachi wasn't taking this better than he was. He wanted to remain rogue to keep the Uchiha name clean, but Sasuke didn't want this anymore. He wanted Itachi to be viewed as the liberator he was, not a demon. He cursed their father, cursed Danzo - cursed everyone who brought this on his beloved _aniki._ He just hoped Sarada wouldn't be tainted just because of this... _she's an angel who will not be dragged to hell as her father had been._

Sasuke closed his eyes and leaned into Sakura's touch, wondering what would happen to him once he was cleared from the hospital and what Itachi was going to do now that he was a redeemed man.

 **God, I hope this chapter was worth the loads of spilling of blood, sweat and tears. :'D Especially with the attempts to save Sasuke's life, how it would be done - and of course, Sakura trying to understand why Orochimaru was so fixated on Sasuke besides wanting his body as the next host.**

 **YAY, Sasuke lives! :D Oh, and if anyone is wondering if he truly regrets everything when he remembers the faces and cries of his victims before awaking, the answer is yes - and more on it will expand coming up, promise. He definitely has more to face before all ends well.**

 **But Itachi above all else: I had been talking to my boyfriend and before then read a couple short fics that were never finished: "Resolution" by Empress of Enchantment, for one, which marvelously shows the depth of his thoughts as he butchered his clan, and when he met with Lord Third Sarutobi, the man commented how he would have been a great Fifth Hokage had things been different than they are now. Another was "The Return of the Weasel" by Uchiha Katane (which includes femNaruto he would have been paired with had the tale been completed), and when he was apprehended after returning willingly, he had come so close to becoming Fifth Hokage (because Tsunade had not yet arrived even though they were within that arc) by one or two more votes after telling the truth of the massacre.**

 **I haven't yet come across any other fics where he DID get his chance, because he should have deserved that position after everything, right? But now Itachi gets his chance to become Lord SIXTH. :D Talk about poetic justice, wouldn't you say? Stay tuned for the epilogue. I don't need to bring up reviews, do I? ;D**


	22. Epilogue: Legacy

**Just read the grand finale, enjoy and review. :D No regrets in the slightest, and thank you all so much for the support.**

 **I feel like I should get this off my chest. A couple times in the last couple days, I got a guest saying that Sasuke was a murderer/rapist who did not deserve redemption, said he didn't even redeem himself in the last chapter, but he HAS. What you will see in this finale will solidify that, end of story. I hope I didn't sound spoiled and harsh, but it's the truth. As well, they mentioned Sakura didn't care about that, only that she loved her Sasuke despite it all - that's what love is about, seeing past wrongs and imperfections. What Sasuke did was the influence of the Curse Mark, if you didn't get that. Damned seasonal animal heat; it wasn't his to control no matter what. He wanted so hard to fight it, but gave into it in the end. He can't go back to change the past, but he can do what he must now to atone.**

 **A little trigger warning in here, so you've been warned. Because Sasuke gets a taste of his own medicine when he was still in Curse Mark form...**

Epilogue

Legacy

If she said just when things couldn't get worse, she would have been lying to herself. Upon his dispatch from the hospital a couple weeks later, none other than Ibiki Morino, Inoichi Yamanaka and the rest of the team came for Sasuke to take him to interrogation. Sakura was forced to watch it all during her shift with Ino at her side, Shizune clutching the clipboard close and the rest of the staff on the same level watching as Sasuke Uchiha was cuffed behind his back and blindfolded, led out without a word.

 _Be strong, Sasuke._

She hadn't slept well ever since he was brought to them, three months of tirelessly keeping him alive as often as she and the others could, with Orochimaru having a morbid idea of murdering someone with Sasuke's blood type to give him what he desperately needed quickly, which caused outrage amongst the team and threatened Tsunade's wrath and murdering him herself. However, in the end, upon examination of harvested organs in stock...

 _Karin Uzumaki's was a candidate._

Sakura's stomach fell then and there. The irony...cruel irony...was that one of Sasuke's last victims happened to be the donator of vital organs to save HIS life. After over two months, her harvested stomach and kidneys happened to be discovered after having been temporarily forgotten. Luck had been on their side when it was uncovered that both Karin and Sasuke shared the same blood type: the common AB. Which meant that _Naruto_ shared the same type. And it was also discovered that the Uzumakis were distant cousins of the Senju clan, which almost made him and Tsunade related completely...

In that time, Tsunade also had records trace back to the once-great Uzumaki clan and discovered that Kushina Uzumaki, wife of the late Lord Fourth Minato Namikaze, had been the previous Nine-Tails _Jinchuuriki,_ before the night the fox demon attacked the village and the Fourth Hokage himself sealed the monster away in a newborn infant before dying himself, his wife with him - and the child happened to be _his own son._ Officially connecting Naruto's past, and he had been beyond speechless before breaking down and wishing he could have known his heroic parents.

With the hunt aside for the time being, his cousin's donated stomach and kidneys ended up replacing the dying ones within Sasuke's body, effectively saving his life. Sakura did not remember crying so hard when the surgery was done and she was alone with him after he had been laid to rest until he roused from heavy sedation and unconsciousness.

It was also then that she had to finally start assuming the big responsibilities of showing the village that she was a mother now. The looks on the faces around her were mixed - mostly positive and congratulatory, but the rest were accusatory and demanding to know how she, an unmarried young woman, was going to take care of a baby from an unknown lover. She heatedly stated that this was her child to love and protect, and that was all that mattered.

When it came to her parents, however, they'd been shocked before bursting into tears, surprisingly not sticking their noses into her business. Both were beyond ecstatic that their only daughter had become a mother at last. To say she was relieved was an understatement.

During the second month of Sasuke's treatment, the explosion erupted in her face.

Everywhere she went, she caught the looks and swore to not examine further for a smart evaluation. They didn't say it to her face - no, they'd known her and treated her better than Naruto had been in those times - but she heard it all...especially when she heard what they said about her Sasuke. The horror in her heart was ice-cold as ever: _How did they even find out when I never told a soul aloud?_ The question terrorized her just as much as the words she heard as though she possessed telepathy.

 _"She went and gave herself to a traitor of this village. He shouldn't be here after going to that monster who killed the Third Hokage and brought us all to near-destruction..."_

It was then and there she decided to go to Ino and confront her, since Naruto was out of the question as well as Hinata, both having sworn on their lives to NEVER betray her like this. When she found the blonde in her flower shop, Ino was on the verge of tears.

"Someone must have overheard me and Shizune, but I don't know who. I swear, Sakura, we didn't..."

 _She never meant it - but WHO heard? I have to be discreet, but what does it matter? The point is everyone knows, and I have to deal with this. I said I would._ With that, Sakura put on her brave face and went about being a mother and continued on with her life and continued to care for Sasuke with her sensei and coworkers.

Tsunade and Shizune both gave her reassurance but never guaranteed anything, and that was fine with her. _**How the hell can you pretend it's fine when it's not, Billboard?**_ her inner self had raged.

It never got any better when Sasuke awoke, recovered and breaking down. Their comrades and friends - half of them, at least, were true friends - were there when it happened, but Shikamaru was chief when he said he'd never trust or accept Sasuke ever again. He didn't know the half of it...yet. And Itachi...

 _He's going to be our next Hokage. He's going to make things right now, and people will start to see him in a new light._ She'd closed her eyes and wept when her lady told her the details: Konohamaru had been the one to find his grandfather's journal which happened to have the details regarding the upcoming massacre of the Uchiha clan, how he'd wished there was another way but it all had been futile, and how Itachi had pleaded with his father that there had to be another way without unnecessary bloodshed. Even Shisui Uchiha, his cousin and best friend, had died trying to stop it - also because of Danzo. It had been difficult enough for Itachi to confess that it was all true. He was still trying to keep the Uchiha name clean, but the truth was out now. What more could he do?

She decided to let him move in with her and help with Sarada, because where else could he go? He couldn't just go back to the old Uchiha compound; there were too many painful memories. Why should he even be in the residence that belonged to the ones who caused him so much pain? He needed a fresh start, and Sarada needed more blood family. She had grandparents on her mother's side, so her uncle was also in order.

Add in that when she saw Itachi cradle his niece, the light in his eyes and his smile did not lie when he absolutely adored her.

 _ **See, that's true love.**_

Her insides turned to mush at the word when she remembered that day when Lady Tsunade left her alone with Sasuke for a little while. She had so much to ask him, but had to take care with wording and how to get it out of him, starting with why he began to cry in front of her, Naruto and the others. She would deal with his verbal outbursts.

"I saw their faces...heard their pleas...and I never stopped. I was a monster. From the dark recesses of my subconscious was the guilt...but I was a coward. You and Naruto made it clear. I was weak to give in to the animal. I don't deserve forgiveness of any kind now that I am back - and I don't understand why you continue to claim to love me, Sakura." He'd closed his eyes then and turned his face away from her, attempting to bury himself into the pillow, beyond ashamed of himself.

"Why would Sarada be burdened with a beast who created her?"

She was having enough of this. She hated how he didn't feel worthy of them both. And even though this may not work, she decided to tell him who his organ donor was, and when she did, his eyes glazed over at Karin's name, but he said nothing. His suffering was her suffering -

\- and this amplified tenfold when Ibiki Morino's team finally came for Sasuke upon discharge.

And the word got out as quickly as the secrets were extracted from his psyche. Not long afterwards, Sasuke was taken into one of the detention cells until he was deemed to be placed on trial or not. She wiped the tears that fell, unable to look into the eyes of those around her; she could only hope now.

But it seemed _hopeless_ because of the vicious whispers that followed for the next month since Sasuke's imprisonment. Lady Tsunade had done all she could, all that Itachi could ask of her. Soon she was stepping down as Hokage because she succeeded in saving his life, and Orochimaru was currently at the correctional facility.

 _He shouldn't be worth redeeming._

 _Why would anyone have faith in him for that?_

 _He should have been killed on sight._

 _He is a demon._

 _That poor child will grow up knowing her father is a rapist and a murderer._

Sakura had closed her eyes and held her baby close to her - this child which was also _Sasuke's._ Yes, Sasuke did unspeakable things, and it made her sick when she found herself looking over the case file of Karin Uzumaki in particular, at the wounds and brutal manner...this hadn't been Sasuke Uchiha of his own will. Orochimaru had implanted this in him. Sasuke couldn't fight off this side effect if he wanted to, but would anyone be willing to listen? _Obviously not,_ she thought bitterly.

She had considered asking permission to be allowed to see her lover and father of Sarada, the baby who had no say with how she had been conceived, or who had made her together. She had no say with how she might be treated by the time she would grow up - but hopefully her uncle, the next Hokage, could help change that.

To see the empty defeat in Itachi's eyes was another burden she couldn't take seeing. He had tried long and hard to refuse the position, but it had been decided for him in the end. He was the perfect man, and Sakura knew he was.

 _This may be the last burden he will have to face...but he's going to make his own path if he wants to now. He does not owe us anymore. He can step down anytime he wants in the future after this._

Naruto had been ecstatic to learn who would be next; he had waited all his life to be Hokage himself, so he could wait a little longer. Besides he had better ideas right now: he planned to ask Hinata to marry him, which made Sakura happy for them both, and Hinata asked her to be the maid of honor. How could she say no?

She sighed when she thought of Sasuke and herself. They had a baby now, but with him locked up at the present to answer for his abandonment of his village and his crimes, what hope was there for marriage? There was too much unknown ahead of them. Too much pain, too much angst...

 _But Lady Tsunade said she'd leave the rest to Itachi. He won't favorite Sasuke just because of their brotherhood; he'd have to follow protocol as Hokage, and based on what the people and the council want, he'd have to carry it out. Even if it's his own brother..._

She was there when he stood at the top of Hokage Tower in full garb, and it had been strange at first to finally see him in the position of village leader - to take in the calm but empty gaze as he looked down upon the people who had begun to look upon him as its hero now, as much as they worshipped Naruto. His speech was breathtaking, powerful and inspiring, promising...he was the new hope. He swore he would exile the current elders who no longer had a place just because they'd been around during the last great wars. A new era was on the rise.

But the hardest task of all involved none other than his own baby brother. _The disgrace of the Uchiha name..._

Sasuke was incarcerated for seven months by the time it was all over. She did not remember being in tears when she ran to Naruto and Hinata with Sarada in her arms, Itachi still adjusting to being in the office of the Hokage himself, when the word spread around and reached their ears. She had the courage to brave the few remaining glares of some of the villagers when she joined Naruto and Kakashi as well as Yamato and Sai, Sarada in her arms, when she greeted Sasuke as they let him out of the facility.

His wild hair was matted down if still a little spiky, on either side of his head, but he no longer gave a snide lift of the nose. He avoided direct eye contact with everyone around him, but when they met with hers... _oh, gods, the blank gaze._

 _What had they DONE to him?_

~o~

The Sixth Hokage, Itachi Uchiha, sat behind his desk and exhaled with great anticipation as he leaned forward and clasped his hands in front of him as his predecessors had done before him. Currently he did not wear the customary hat of the Hokage, because he preferred to have his head breathing. His hair was becoming thinner and sporting gray streaks, and he was barely at his third decade of life.

 _Time and an entirety of sacrifices suck the soul out of you._

Finally he managed to catch a break from the loathsome paperwork that he now knew the suffering of Tsunade before him, and stifled a chuckle. It wasn't terrible sitting behind this desk, given it was better than being on the battlefield, but someday he might be called because his duty was this village first and foremost. Since his mantle was given, there hadn't been an ounce of threat to the Leaf Village. The Akatsuki had somehow dissolved following the death of Pain. He closed his eyes with relief.

He hadn't seen or heard from Kisame, wondering if he'd somehow been killed or was simply hiding. _If I see you one day then, my old partner, imagine the irony if I am the one to see you in chains and you see me behind this desk,_ Itachi thought with a slight smirk. But just because of these new circumstances, it did not mean he regretted their years of partnership, and the shark man knew that as well as he.

With a grunt because his bones needed a good stretch, he arose and turned to look out the window, to gaze upon the mountain of the five Hokage before him, starting with the one who founded this land with Madara Uchiha, followed by his younger brother - the one who began the disgusting generations of scheming among the Uchiha - and then the one whom Itachi knew for the longest time and trusted above all else; next was Naruto's father who saved them all from the Nine-Tails and risked his life as well as his newborn son's fate in the process, effectively ending with Tsunade herself. In another year, Itachi would see his face right next to her.

He looked down at the vast scape of this village he loved and smiled at the peace: friends joining in groups, families making stops to the shops and grabbing bites, and couples making out. He chuckled again and shook his head. These people he stood before not even a year ago and spilled his heart, maybe some blood, in the process. He could still hear his own words echo in the recesses...

 _"Citizens of the Leaf Village, I do not need to state who I am as many of you remember me, but for the youngest of lives yet to learn, today marks a new era where my past is of little concern. Once I was a man on the run for grievous actions, but underneath the surface was the noblest morale for your lives before me on this day. As history states, the Second Hokage himself had the Uchiha clan - my blood and the second most powerful family who allied to bring this village from nature's depths - sent to the outskirts for reasons regarding suspected judgment and plotted advancement. For years there was no such proof until I was one unlucky alive to be caught in the middle._

 _"I have no intentions to reveal every detail of my life being the prodigy and pride of the Uchiha clan and a pawn, but there will be another time for the grim details rather than today, but know this: my father, Fugaku Uchiha, the head of the police force, began to lead the uprising which finally came to light - the first and only coup d'état in the history of Konoha. At the point, I was thirteen and captain of ANBU - for his purposes, if you must. I was caught between my own kin and the Elders themselves, forced to choose a side, and it would lead to one of two choices: to side with my own people and cause a war which would bring the whole village I loved down to ruins, or to ally with the other side and slay my kind to save innocents. I chose the latter...but at the cost of my reputation and the one I loved more than anything else to be spared."_

He reached up with one hand to place over his heart, like he'd done that day when he'd gone on, the chatter beneath having been in shock and cheer, an odd symphony to his senses. "And you all know who it was," he whispered, just like he'd called down to the people listening to him. He hadn't meant to give so much away, but he had his reasons for giving enough. He wanted them all to know, those who were never Shinobi like he, and those he once had as comrades before his fate altered, his brother's with him, and both ended up walking the dark path. That was the fate of the Uchiha...but today that would begin to change.

 _"In short, I was following orders, and at a price of my own happiness as a Shinobi lives. I spared my younger brother, however, because he was the one link to my sanity rather than taking his innocent life. Sasuke at the time was but a child who knew nothing of our clan's foils. Before I left Konoha, I begged Lord Third Sarutobi to watch over him, knowing that Sasuke would one day grow strong enough to kill me in revenge and hate. I never wished for him to find out the truth, so I joined the Akatsuki if not from the depths of my heart."_

Itachi looked down at that hand over his heart, seeing how his ring had long since been removed and thrown into the Nakano River - the same place where Shisui had thrown himself in before his eyes, Danzo taking his right eye but the other saved for Itachi, his best friend. The man could not bring himself to shed a tear. He'd chosen to not speak these words aloud to the people.

 _"Before I took the lives of my mother and father, Fugaku had said to me that even though our views differed...he was proud of the Shinobi I became. And he asked me to look after Sasuke. I did keep that promise to a degree, and in recent years, every time we met again, as much as this should be kept secret in regardings of emotions, we recalled the childhood feelings in which the younger adores the elder - and the closer we were each day, the closer we were as children. None of this excuses his abandonment of this land, running to one of our greatest enemies or becoming the fiend which..."_ He'd let the sentence hang then and there; the children did not need to listen to this. _"I won't pardon him someday in the near future just because he is my brother, so I will take this matter carefully for the sake of the world."_

That _was_ a promise he'd kept, painful as it had been for both him and his _otouto_. His heart cracked doing this to Sasuke as he'd taken everything from him when he was only a...

 _"Today I make the vow to cleanse away the infection that had been growing behind blind eyes, and the remaining Council Elders who knew the truth will be dealt with accordingly, and I will continue to hold the peace of the Village Hidden in the Leaves."_

When he finished speaking, Itachi Uchiha did not remember feeling so satisfied with the light weight in his very body and soul, his heart fluttering, as he looked upon the faces spreading across the village, never realizing he would have made such an impact as he'd done. He closed his eyes then and allowed a tear to fall down his cheek. For the moment, he was not just Itachi of the Leaf; he was a man who felt more blessed than he could remember. He remembered wiping the tear and turning around only to meet with the smiling faces that gathered around him.

How could Tsunade not be there, hn? She bowed her head and took his hand into hers, followed by Shizune and TonTon oinking, making him chuckle. Followed by the fifteen ANBU at attention who acknowledged him with a brief inclining forward of the head - but Might Guy gave him a thumbs up and that signature blinding grin of his, and he did not need to label the expressions from the rest. _They accepted me back so willingly._

He finally had reached the two people that he and his brother trusted most in the world: Naruto was grinning like a fool brighter than the sun blessing them. "Hey, you're gonna make a great Hokage, Itachi."

When he'd turned his attention to the lovely pink-haired woman with the precious bundle of dark hair, Itachi allowed his shell to drop momentarily so he could take his niece into his arms and hold her. When his comrades and the people below saw this, cheers and cries erupted to seeing this side of him. He relished the moment, whispering to Sarada how strong she was and that she would grow up in a new era that would have no violence...but a promise like that was always out of the hands' will. He sighed and kept the vow from being spoken aloud.

 _I vow to protect this village - but I can't promise peace forever. Someday there will be another war, but not unless we stand and fight together to prevent it._

Besides, he had another promise to try and keep.

He knew good and well that he could never keep his promises to train his brother every time he came home, but he swore on his life he would save Sasuke's soul. Being locked up would do nothing. _The only promise I truly kept to him was being by his side even if he never asked me to._ The people and remaining elders did not understand his brother as well as he, Sakura and Naruto.

Sasuke had been in the detention facility for a few months now, when he finally decided to pay a visit to his dear brother - as Hokage, of course. He had Kakashi and Yamato in tow, because he trusted them both. He wasn't fazed by the darkness and minimal light source. It was this place where condemned, temporary prisoners resided until they were fit for pardon when they did not get sent to the malevolent Konoha Correctional. He could never send his _otouto_ there, even though rape and murder in one was heinous...

Many of the unfortunates were either in Orochimaru's charge or random young women in the streets - and one of them happened to be of the Uzumaki clan, and the one whose vital organs wound up saving Sasuke's life. He thought of the irony: the one his brother unwillingly fornicated within his Curse Mark stage turned out to be the one to save his life even in death. But Sasuke didn't see it that way; Itachi knew him well for that. Or better yet, he never knew how to take this donation.

 _He will forever carry a part of a victim and long-lost relative of Naruto's inside him._

"Lord Sixth," greeted one of the ANBU in a bear's mask outside the cell where Sasuke Uchiha was held. There was darkness within, and the only light outside were the torches on either side. "The prisoner isn't at his best to see anyone in his current condition..."

Narrowing his eyes, Itachi was tempted to activate his Sharingan, but he had no intentions to put someone under psychosis. "That is of no concern; I am the Hokage. I can deal with any prisoner in the worst of conditions, now let me aside or I will relieve you," he said sharply. "Don't you dare question me again, is that clear?" The fool just thought because he was one of the few to not accept him due to his past, that he could speak back and cover up whatever was occurring behind his back...

The man bowed his head. "Yes, sir."

"Good. Now if you do not mind, I wish to see my brother."

The sight he, Kakashi and Yamato were greeted with sent both men into a cringing state and causing him to narrow his eyes. Not only was Sasuke curled up on the slab of a bed, his back facing them, but the three men could _smell_ it in the air. _Now, why do I smell...seed? Sweat and semen..._

 _Someone has been in here, and someone has placed their hands where they don't belong. This is illegal in every book. Prisoners must be dealt with justly via interrogation and supervision, but behind closed doors and blind eyes - this calls for investigation. No one touches my baby brother!_

"Kakashi," Itachi hissed, "do you smell it?"

"Yes, it's disgusting," the silver-haired man agreed, closing his eye. Yamato couldn't suppress shudders of his own.

"ANBU should not be capable of something like this." _Even I never resorted to such monstrosities - but I was a boy back then. A boy with the mentality of a man...and now my little brother has the treatment he gave his victims turned back onto him. That is just what his jailers hoped to accomplish with him. They believed that they could show him what his victims felt, when they refuse to see this was never Sasuke's fault the snake damned him. Fools -_ He took a few steps forward and stopped until he was beside Sasuke, whose back still faced him. _\- did they not assume that the Sixth Hokage, a man with the powerful Sharingan beside the Byakkugan, and elder brother of one of their prisoners, would not find out about their "activities"?_

He intended to have a full medical check-up on Sasuke at once, even if the younger objected. He had no say in the matter; this was for his own good. It would kill Sakura when this got back to her, so Tsunade who had chosen to remain in the Medical Corps was in the question.

He knelt down, gathering his robes in the front and smoothing them out. "Sasuke," he said softly, " _aniki_ is here."

The younger only turned halfway and regarded him with a blank, Sharingan-less stare which made the elder's heart harden at once. The protective brother he was, he vowed to make whoever did this to him pay, but no blood to spill. He was not a tyrant. Sasuke did not say a word, nor did he acknowledge the other two behind them, until Kakashi stepped forward and leaned over, running his hand over Sasuke's forehead, smoothing back the sweat-matted black hair which was now flattened against his skull and was growing longer past his shoulders. His skin was slightly ashen, but his body remained toned as ever. He knew the food was terrible, but he planned on bringing something to Sasuke that he truly liked very soon.

Yamato cursed under his breath. "Sir, should I bring in the medical team?"

"Do it," Itachi answered heatedly, standing and hovering over Sasuke, placing a protective hand over his brother's feverish forehead, and he instantly grew alarmed inside. "And Kakashi, you know what you must do."

From then on, he allowed no one to be around Sasuke for whatever reason, and instead chose to keep him under watch of one of Ibiki's men who was trustworthy enough to not touch the prisoner in the manner he'd been. Tsunade had come as requested, and after full examination, Itachi's suspicions had been confirmed: Sasuke had been raped numerous times. And by none other than the ANBU with the bear mask; he would be dealt with and under observation, relieved of his rank for the time being.

 _This must never be released for the village's knowledge._

Itachi Uchiha had never been so disgusted as he was with THIS - even moreso that this involved his imprisoned _otouto._ Because of this, he intended to draw up a better solution if meant to be for the rest of the world to see that the younger Uchiha was willing to prove he could be trusted again. This was his idea, really, and Kakashi could not agree more with him. "Being imprisoned isn't going to do well for his mental and emotional state. I've known a handful of Shinobi who lost their minds for good like this." Kakashi sighed sharply. "The Council was wise to choose you for this."

 _And to recall the looks on the faces of the Elders who knew the entire story about my hand played in the death of my clan._ He remembered allowing a real, sincere grin to penetrate his face when the two old windbags themselves looked down at him behind the very desk they glared down at Tsunade. "Never thought you both would see me in this position, have you?" he'd asked smoothly. Who could ever forget the dismay in their eyes, even when he dismissed them both for good? They might have been alive in the last couple great wars, but their time was over, and the one they aided Danzo in using for the village was the one above them with a clean slate.

Itachi nodded. They were returning to the tower together, their old broken friendship slowly returning almost like it had been ages ago. He smiled at the other man now and stated, "I didn't even want to be Hokage."

"Great men don't always seek power."

 _Sometimes that power is forced onto them. When you seek and covet it, you lose yourself and isolate yourself from those around you...just like my brother. Just as I warned him a long time ago._

Itachi returned to his office and dismissed Kakashi and ordered his secretary to check his schedule list. Upon sitting down, now he looked upon the old photograph of Sasuke and himself from when they were younger; next to it was Sakura with a newborn Sarada and smiling tiredly at the camera. He chuckled and took them both from the corner to smile. His family, his everything. Precious life should never be taken for granted.

He felt his smile slip when he looked upon the younger face of Sasuke who had been completely different than he was now. The light in these eyes...the bright innocence was gone forever, followed by a bloodthirsty darkness which soon became the dull gray that he saw not many months ago. That would cease because soon he would draw up the release and summon his brother in front of him. He was confident this would work both in their favors, and for their fellow Shinobi and the rest of the Leaf Village.

When Sasuke finally stood before him, the bags were clear under his eyes, and his mop of hair was against his skull on either side and behind, but other than that, he looked crystal clean. Itachi allowed himself to smile. " _Otouto."_

" _Aniki,_ " the other replied somberly and without a beat, "what am I to do now?"

"You're free to leave the village for the time being, but you have one year before you return. I don't know what you must do, Sasuke, but for the sake of reestablishing yourself, I cannot think of an alternative to prove the world you are as I am. Here I am in the Hokage's seat, but what must _you_ do?" he pointed out. The younger didn't blink, but continued to regard him blankly. What happened to him in detention changed him worse than living in the wild as a monster and Orochimaru. _Who continues to remain shut away where he belongs. Let him rot away for the remainder of his time in his current body...unless he cannot find means to escape us again..._

Sasuke surprised him by snorting. Now there was a small part of his old charm coming back. "Why should I care about trying to catch up to you now, big brother?" he said sarcastically. "And why should I care about what anyone else thinks? I just want my life back. I am done living the way I used to." He paused then and looked to the side, in deep contemplation.

"I want to understand the world better and wish to be just like you again - a good man to be trusted. I want to come back and spend the rest of my life with Sakura, and Sarada to grow up knowing her father wasn't a beast."

Itachi sighed. This man standing before him wasn't the angry, broken soul he remembered - Sasuke was putting his priorities ahead now. He had no choices to make for his _otouto_ anymore, he didn't want him to be high on the same pedestal or following his footsteps, and above all...

"Sasuke...I am proud of the man you've become."

~o~

 _"...I am proud of the man you've become."_

He closed his eyes and his heart - just to prevent anything outside he didn't want to come in again. Only three, four - or five, and that was his limit - were truly allowed within his heart of stone. One was the man who spoke those words to him the day he was freed from that hell darker than the one he resided in a lifetime - _brother._ To look up at him as the new Hokage, the one who would carry the torch of making their village strong...it was far exceeding the way it had been when they were children. If he were young and innocent again, he would have said Itachi was perfect, because look at him now...

...but his _aniki_ was far from perfect. He'd been a different person under the surface their father and the clan groomed him into. To think Sasuke wanted to be just like him, but he himself was never perfect from the start. _No one is ever what another person thinks they are._ He sighed and ran a hand through his oily hair which needed a wash after being in that stinking cell for less than a year. It would also be the first time he would see _them_ again.

Everyone was there when he was making his way towards the gates of Konoha to leave, but his lover and daughter were there, and this was the first time he saw Sarada since his recovery and imprisonment. He felt himself melt when their shared onyx eyes made contact. She'd grown more tufts of hair, looked more like her mother every day - and she had such a strong grip when she took his finger into hers, making her proud father laugh. If there was one thing he regretted when Sakura was still pregnant, it was not being there every day when she needed him, in addition to not once touching her growing abdomen which housed this precious little one.

Sasuke bent forward and placed a kiss to her forehead. "Take care of your mother, little one," he breathed against her soft skin. She cooed and reached for him again. He let her take his fingers and hold them while he gave her mother his full attention, gazing into those expressive emerald irises and seeing the one word that she always told him - but he never had the chance. _I did, actually, but I was a_ baka _to never find it in myself to use it. It's too powerful, too destructive..._

"I love you, Sakura." A wave washed over his inner self at the release. Now he was free.

"I love you, too, Sasuke. Don't stay away forever," she begged softly. "I wish we could be there with you..."

He chuckled and shook his head. "Hn, don't be silly." With that, he raised his hand and did the one sure thing _aniki_ always used to do to him because he loved him: he placed the tips of his index and middle fingers against her forehead, jabbing lightly and taking her by surprise. She recovered and blushed.

"Until I get back."

"Yeah, _teme,_ you better be back, or I'll pressure your big brother to hunt you down myself!" He rolled his eyes. That was one thing about the dobe that would never change, and that was his hot-headed determination. He and Hinata were going to be married, but they planned to wait until he returned, because Naruto really wanted Sasuke there to be his best man. And this was his promise:

"Until then, loser." With that, he bade farewell for now and turned his back on them - but not like before. He intended to follow the order and bring his self back through the gates.

One year, he was given, and he had every intention to return, but only to avoid being labeled missing-nin again - and to his family. He was to earn the trust of the entire village again. His brother was a hero; he should fight long and hard to earn that respect, but there was the remaining dark half of himself that did not care and prided on himself.

The darkness ate him away when he remembered the pain he felt of being violated in detention. This was what the Man-Beast's victims suffered under him...

Whenever the man in the bear mask outside his cell would come in after hours when darkness fell, Sasuke would hold his guard but not fight. What point was there if he wanted to be killed so badly? He'd been tied with chakra sealing bonds while he felt IT - from behind and tearing his muscles in and out; he could still feel the blood down his legs even if it were eventually wiped away. The red liquid would dry and come off on its own. Each morning after would find his rear end sore. It was more than his manhood could bear, but who would save him from this?

It hadn't been completely painful; it would hit a certain spot that would go straight for his groin. Was this what his male victims had felt, even the female ones - notably Karin? It made him feel even more ashamed and tore him farther apart inside. He tried to tell himself over and over that when he first activated the second stage of the Curse Mark, unknowing of the effects to follow, it wasn't his decision to be branded in the beginning...but it didn't erase the fact he still was unable to stop himself...

 _Stop it,_ his mind would often try to snap at him. _You're not that creature anymore. These animals who dared call themselves Shinobi WANT you to feel like this. They think this will make you see what you've done._

And guiltily enough, he had to agree with that sneer in his psyche.

The medical team found out, at the orders of the Lord Hokage himself - _aniki._ He wanted to drown out the conversations he heard when they poked and prodded him, checked everywhere they could - and when they found the proof and lingering seed from recently, and the torn pieces of his inner muscles, he was vaguely aware that two female med nins and a male wanted to leave and vomit - _with their soft stomachs,_ he thought - but the brave ones lingered enough to deliver the news to his dear brother who ordered the man's dismissal and an investigation to see if this was also transpiring with other prisoners.

This would never erase the impact on Sasuke's mind, but do you see him giving up? And when he saw Itachi, he had to insist that Sakura not be told about this; he would do so himself. This was his choice, not Itachi's, and his elder brother solemnly agreed to let him keep his silence...but if he kept this hidden forever, the pain would be greater. Did Itachi _need_ to tell him this? Sasuke sneered.

"I've lived in darkness," he said aloud to the cloudless skies when he was less than a mere four hours away from Konoha, "but I won't let it take over me again. This pain only makes me stronger." _And I know Sakura; she won't be disgusted with me. She wasn't for what_ I _did, but I will always feel the shame._

 _"I've held one too many secrets, Sasuke - you can't keep this forever, and I won't be able to on my part. The Shinobi harbor too many on their shoulders."_

 _I know what you feel, brother...I truly do..._

He traveled far and wide in a year, and what could he say of his adventures? So many of these towns and villages he'd been to in his years of living in the wild, but now that he was back to where he used to be, but without his hideous appearance, he could venture into town without fear or disgust of his looks. To use the word strange was an understatement - and in an actual _strange_ way, he felt free and unafraid.

Not long after leaving the Leaf Village, Sasuke Uchiha awakened none other than the _Mangekyo Sharingan._

He was into month three by this time, coming across none other than the ancient Land of Whirlpools - also known as Uzushiogakure - which was once the home of the Uzumaki clan. He hummed. _Naruto's ancestry scattered here and there._ No one lived in these lands anymore; any survivors following the war devastations were, as he said, scattered across the world. He'd traveled by boat to reach this location just to look for anything on Naruto's family...

Everything he uncovered was granted so he could return home to show his friend, if Naruto didn't have anything already on the woman who gave birth to him. Sasuke was satisfied with everything he found - but then he encountered unwanted bandits just as he was leaving.

These men were just wandering and looking for anything precious, but he was going to give them a piece of his mind. He considered _genjutsu_ and then dropping them off at the nearest town, but he no longer had the Curse Mark powers so carry them into flight. He could always leave them tied at the nearest port. Nowadays if anyone came to the Land of Whirlpools, it was trading reasons. These lands were an ancient scape of relics of the past, preserved from across the ocean.

Back to the present. Sasuke handled this without getting a scratch...and this was when in midst, he felt the pain in his eye as well as the drip down his left eye, and upon bringing his fingers down, he saw the _blood._ This wasn't ordinary; he knew what this was because he remembered the warnings and the story from long ago, but could not kill Naruto to obtain it at a price...

 _I've done it. I finally awoke the Mangekyo. But I must not overuse it. This is only the beginning - and that means I can finally use the Amaterasu. But what else is there...?_

 _I must speak to Itachi when I return. This power is risky enough._

After that, he would find himself often traveling with caravans to the next town, where he would stop and then stay in this place to find temporary work so he could provide aid of his own - and now he found himself in the far east, in the Land of Rice Paddies which he remembered well enough; now during the fifth month, he wound up in a predicament when the screams of a young woman reached his ears, and he followed with the help of the Sharingan...only to find her entrapped in an alleyway and being...

He snapped inside, interfering on the spot and activating his eyes on the man who cowered away in fright. He hummed with satisfaction.

"The next time you try this again, I won't miss a shot."

The girl looked to be about sixteen or seventeen, brunette and blue-eyed, whimpering and pulling herself up. For some reason, he felt like he saw her before, but perhaps it was one of the girls in the past - he shook his head clear of these thoughts and helped her stand before gruffly telling her to be on her way but to be on her guard next time, and he gave her one of his kunai should she need it to defend herself. She nodded and brushed a tear off before going on her way.

It wasn't long before he found himself in none other than the Village Hidden in the Sand, which would mark the end of his travels within a few months. Sasuke wasn't sure if the Fifth Kazekage - Gaara, none other - would be able to warmly welcome him despite the fact he and Naruto were friends and shared one bone-deep common factor.

He received obvious distrust particularly amongst Temari and Kankuro, but Gaara did welcome him - to an extent. He allowed Sasuke to remain beside him as a personal watch as they received notice from their spies that Akatsuki were coming here. Two of them, likely, so they posted extra security around, but with his help, these Akatsuki might not stand a chance.

It was him and Gaara versus these two when they arrived - they were no match for his Mangekyo Sharingan when he found he was able to pull off what dearest brother had done to him a long time ago. One was a puppet master known as Sasori, the other a mad clay bomber once from the Village Hidden in the Stone called Deidara... _oh, they won't be a problem._

He might have been overconfident, but he didn't care. It was too late to call for aid, much less for anyone from the Village Hidden in the Leaves, because he was here. He knew just what to do, and to make big brother proud.

 _Amaterasu on the puppeteer himself...and Tsukuyomi on the other. I believe now I remember that Itachi had done so on him at one time..._

When the exhausting battle was over, and the One-Tailed _Jinchuuriki_ himself protected, Sasuke had another victory to return home with - but not before being congratulated as a hero in the Hidden Sand Village, and the Kazekage himself rewarded him with something personal.

Sasuke had this on his mind ever since he left his village, because he swore to Sakura, and because they had a daughter now, they couldn't stay unwed forever. Even though his clan was nearly extinct, he did remember one serious tradition he wished to honor, and he decided he could not do this without Gaara's help. And so, when he made the long journey back to Konoha and brought himself straight to the Hokage's office, he did not care about his own appearance other than giving Itachi his detailed experiences. He found himself on his knees then, not realizing how exhausted he was.

And _renewed._

"You've finally awakened the Mangekyo," Itachi noted when he was done speaking, then closed his eyes and sighed. "About time, little brother, but we must begin to harness the other fatal secret besides the Amaterasu..."

Sasuke bowed his head. The biggest risk was losing your eyesight forever, and he could not afford that. "Agreed." He looked back up when he heard the smile in his brother's voice.

"But right now, I believe a certain happy reunion is in order. Someone has been waiting for you, _otouto._ " He called for the other person he sensed was on the other side of the closed office door to come in.

"Sasuke..."

He turned around at the sound of his name and felt his heart leap when he saw the woman he loved standing there, Sarada being a year old now and cooing happily when she saw her father. He wasn't sure how to describe Sakura other than how...bright she looked. She'd taken over the medical practice when Tsunade retired, from what he heard, and having managed to care for their daughter at the same time, whilst having Hinata do the deed during the day. _Speaking of which..._

Behind them were the dobe himself and his bride-to-be. Sasuke allowed a small crack of a smile to show as he'd made it back in time for their wedding which was a month away. _Itachi did say to never again take the littlest joys in life for granted - and I learned that outside these lands._

He stood, wincing at his tired bones, but let her take him into a tight hold. He had enough strength to return it with one arm around her waist. He realized how much he missed her when he drew her body close and inhaled her sweet scent - that and the baby's together. He looked over her shoulder and saw Hinata's shy, sweet smile and her fiancée nervously rubbing the back of his head as he was prone to do. It made Sasuke remember to reach into his cloak and pull out the one thing he brought all the way back from Suna for her, without having to kneel down and present.

The ring was in the form of the blossom in her name, with the big diamond surrounded with smaller ones, set in a band of soft gold. Sakura's eyes were shining when she answered before he could even ask her.

"Yes, I'll marry you, Sasuke."

Sasuke Uchiha bowed his head and allowed himself to weep for joy. A lifetime of darkness and mistakes, pain and suffering and inflicting it unintentionally on others was at an end; now with this powerful woman in his arms whom he once knew as an annoying, gushing girl and would soon be his wife, he swept her into his arms and spun her around the office, not before Itachi stood up and took Sarada into his arms and watched with a proud smile as his little brother made another great decision for himself and their family's future to come.

 **Before anyone asks, I don't think I'll ever do a sequel. I MAY do some short shot companions, but nothing extended as this was. Some things are best left as they are.**

 **I feel ashamed for what happened to Sasuke while he was locked up, but if anyone's read my friend Avenger Hawk's "In the Dark", it provided inspiration. It's VERY angsty. At the same time, it made him feel what the victims of the "Man-Beast" felt, so it was a harsh step to redemption. I do NOT condone that, just so everyone knows, so please don't flame or criticize me for that.**

 **With that said, reviews appreciated for the grand finale, if I didn't say it enough. :D**


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